An Angel, a Devil, and the Akatsuki
by blackcatgirl
Summary: A sweet, social, perky, hyperactive Akatsuki fan. A short-tempered girl with an excessive revulsion towards other people. When a box of odd kittens showed up in her garden, Tenshi had no idea just how much they would mess with her life.
1. Introductions and finding kittens

Hello! I hesitated a lot before posting this. There are a lot of stories like this one out there, but I figured I might as well take a shot at it. Review!

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><p>I walked home in the rain as fast as I could. My feet hit the wet ground, absorbing the water. With an inner sigh, I cursed myself for having worn converse that day. I mean, what was I thinking? I knew it would rain. Yet I had automatically put them on.<p>

As the rain poured down harder, I broke into a run, pulling my hood further down over my head. In a rather predictable twist, I slipped on the wet ground and went sprawling in a puddle that was conveniently located right in front of me. A single thought crossed my mind.

My life sucks.

My cats had just died. Both of them. Don't ask. School was hell, and yes I am in high school. My parents had ditched me to go off on some vacation, leaving me alone for the next three months. And now I was outside, caught in the rain, with increasingly wet feet, completely soaked. Damn it. The only redeeming thing in my life right now was the fact that my friend was moving in.

I picked myself up and walked home, not running. It took me longer, but at least I didn't trip again.

I unlocked the door and stepped into the dark house. Outside, thunder growled and lightning flashed. I silently prayed to whatever god there was for the power to stay on.

I switched on the lights and unloaded my school books from my bags, making sure they weren't wet. Once I was sure they were all right, I took a hot shower, spending more time that I usually did. Thank god it was finally vacation. It was only a week and a half long, but still, that was a week and a half I didn't have to spend hanging around other people in school.

I suppose it's time for me to introduce myself. My name is Angelique, Angel to the few people I can stand to listen to for more than two seconds, and Tenshi to the only friend I've got. I'm about 5 feet 4 inches, very curvy, ash blond hair streaked with red hanging to my shoulders, gray eyes, French-American, bilingual. I wear black, exclusively, my grades are average, and I have no social life. That's by choice, you know. People just plain irritate me, so I spend all my time alone, nose in a book. I am very pessimistic, withdrawn, rather nasty to those I don't like (cougheverybodycough), and I have a wide steak of misanthropy in my character. The only person I consider a friend is Dawn, the one who will be moving in with me soon. We're complete opposites, her and I. She's very optimistic, a people person, popular, pretty, a little hyperactive (it gets worse if she is given sugar). Her hair is dark brown, reaching to her waist, her eyes are bright green, and she's rather short and thin, making her look twelve instead of sixteen, an age which she is more than happy to act. We've known each other since we were little, which is why we can stand each other. That and the one thing we have in common: anime.

We are both anime geeks. We can spend hours watching it together, losing complete track of time and space. Our favorite would have to be Naruto. Her favorite characters were the Akatsuki, while I liked Gaara, which sparked more than one argument between us, for example when I said Deidara deserved losing both his arms for what he did to Gaara. She replied by calling Gaara a murderous, emo creep.

It went downhill from there.

If it wasn't for her, my head would have exploded long ago. I seriously cannot stand dealing with most people. Good thing that after I had sent out 'leave me alone, leave me alone' vibes at the beginning of the year, people had ceased trying to talk to me, and I could carry on, tuning out to the best of my abilities, the background noise that naturally pervaded any high school.

About her moving in with me, our parents decided that it would be a little dangerous for me to live on my own for that long, so they though it would be a good idea for her to come and keep me company, especially since Dawn's parents also decided to leave on an extended vacation. She had offered to have me over at her mansion (her family is filthy rich, did I mention?), but I didn't want to have to live in that place, it was way too big for my tastes. My house was much smaller, but it was nice and cozy, with a large garden and a fireplace. So, they decided to take this opportunity to do renovations at her house.

Anyhow, that's all you need to know about me, for now at least. Dawn would be arriving tomorrow, so I guess things could be worse. And vacation was here. Huzzah.

It was still raining hard outside. I changed into a dry pair of jeans and my Linkin Park shirt, lounged in my favorite chair and switched on my laptop. It was a blue Dell Inspiron, and the most precious thing I owned. This was my gateway to the anime-rich realm that is the Internet. It kept me from having to buy all the manga and DVDs, because let's face it, as a fifteen year old girl I had nowhere enough money to buy them all. I once calculated how much it would all cost and nearly had a heart attack. So, I decided that I would buy them once I grew up and got a job. In the meantime, Dawn bought every piece of Naruto merchandise she could get her hands on, the bitch.

I plugged in my headphones and was about to zone out of reality when lighting flashed, startling me. The storm must be overhead, I thought with a mental shrug, returning my attention to my computer. I heard a loud meow. Figuring the neighbors had left their cat outside again, I ignored it. It got louder. I turned the sound up. It still found its way to my ears.

I huffed angrily. There was no way I would be able to get some quality anime-time with that damn cat whining in my ear. I swear that thing had gotten louder since the last time it was stuck outside. I got up and opened the french doors that led to the garden, intent on chasing the animal off. I paused when I realized the noise was coming from a very wet cardboard box.

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><p>"Let us the fuck out of here!" Hidan whined angrily, scratching at the cardboard.<p>

"Would you shut up!" growled Kakuzu.

"You shut up! We're fucking cats!"

"You are getting on my nerves!"

"Fuck off!"

"Hidan! Kakuzu! Stop this fighting. We have more pressing matters to attend to!" snapped Pein.

He sat next to Konan in one corner of the box. This couldn't be happening to them. The last thing he remembered was a smoke bomb in their hideout, and bam, they were stuck in this box, in the form of felines. Kittens to be more exact.

"What the hell are we supposed to do, hm?" said Deidara.

"I'm thinking." snapped Pein.

Then a little light flooded the box, and a face appeared. It was a teenage girl, with ash blond hair, gray eyes, and a sour twist on her face


	2. The Angelic Devil and Unoriginal Names

Hello once more. Whoa, people actually reviewed. Thank you, Yuti-Chan, XxxAkuma UchihaxxX, and daydreamer1008. I gratefully tip my hat to you.

I forgot to do this: I disclaim Naruto. There. That ought to be enough.

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><p>I stared into the box. Kittens. Nine of them. Seriously? Who had dumped these in my yard? How did they even get in, aren't we supposed to have a fence? Ah, too many question.<p>

Lighting flashed again, followed by a deafening roar of thunder. I was getting soaked as well, but I didn't mind all that much. I liked rain.

Well, better get them inside. I picked up the box, staggering a little under the weight, and carried it inside. Cringing at the muddy water dripping on my clean wood floor, I hauled the box up to my room, placing in on the floor. More water stained my carpet.

I had one weakness: I loved cats, especially kittens. I had been devastated when the two I owned had died, and had been thinking about adopting more.

I sat crossed-legged in front of the box and opened it. I hadn't noticed before in the poor light, but these were some _weird_ kittens. Some of them looked like they had been dyed or something.

The one that had been making so much noise was a small silvery kitten with magenta eyes. It glared at me angrily, scratching the box with puny kitten claws, meowing louder than the neighbor's Siamese. The one next to him was brown with odd stitch-like markings, and he was hissing at the silver, who hissed back.

In a corner, two kittens sat meowing at each other, almost as if they were arguing, one a bright yellow with fluffy fur and blue eyes, the other a rusty red with a kanji over his heart. These two were normal enough, I suppose. The red one had heavy-lidded eyes, making look bored and aloof, though he was meowing fervently at the yellow.

The next pair consisted of a black cat with eyes that seemed to flicker between red and black, and a huge blue one with gill like markings. Now _that_ was weird. They sat perfectly still.

A ginger cat with dot markings on his face and purple eyes, a violet-blue one with amber eyes, and a cat split evenly down the middle, one side white the other black, completed the lot.

These had to be the oddest kittens I had ever seen.

They jumped when the doorbell rang.

"Akuma must be early . . ." I muttered to myself. Akuma was Dawn's self-given nickname. She called me Tenshi after my name, Angelique, and since we were opposites, what was the opposite of an angel? Why, a demon of course. Hence, the nickname. I had made no secret of the fact that I thought her nickname was idiotic. She was the farthest thing from a demon: sweet, active, and helpful. When I commented on this, she pointed out that I wasn't exactly an angel, either. I was short-tempered and snappish, very frequently nasty. Point taken.

I hardly noticed the odd looks I got from the kittens as I ran down the stairs and opened the door. Akuma stood there, grinning ear to ear, her luggage forming a huge pile behind her.

"Hey, Tenshi!" she squealed, hugging me with a nearly bone-crushing grip (_how_ was a girl her size so strong?). I patted her back awkwardly. I normally hated any form of physical contact, but I sucked it up because Akuma was a very touchy-feely person.

"Akuma. You're early, what's up? I thought you were coming tomorrow?"

"Meh, I decided I might as well come here now." she let me go and I rubbed my sore ribs.

"Is that so? Well, you came at the right time, it turns out. Guess what I found." I smirked slightly.

"What, what?"

I was about to tell her when a loud meow cut me off. Must be the silver. She grinned.

"You got a new cat?" she said, nearly hopping up and down with excitement.

"Not quite. Come and see." I had to help her drag her three huge suitcases into the house before we could go up.

When she saw the kittens, she squealed.

"Oh, my, God, they are so cute!" she picked up the red one, who stared at her in a bored manner. She looked vaguely disgusted. "But they stink! Where'd you get'em?" She replaced the slightly offended-looking cat in the box.

"They were in my yard. I was thinking of taking them down to the shelter tomorrow." She stared at me as if I had just kicked her puppy. "What?"

"You can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Just because! On principle! You can't let them rot in jail!" she pointed dramatically at the kittens.

"Akuma, the shelter is not kitty-jail. You're overreacting."

"But if they don't find a home for them, they'll be killed! You can't let that happen to these poor kitties! You can't! God will curse you if you do! Heathen!" tears I knew were fake threatened to fall. "And you call yourself an angel!"

"I don't, it was my stupid parents who had no naming sense whatsoever. And what am I supposed to do, keep _nine_ kittens? My parents will kill me. Plus, who knows where these have been, or who they belong to. We can't keep these, Akuma."

She pouted at the finality of my tone. The kittens seemed to have been following the conversation, even looking horrified when Akuma mentioned being killed. There was definitely something up with these cats. They even reminded me of something, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

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><p>"What does she mean, killed, un?" exclaimed Deidara in an outraged tone.<p>

"I believe, brat, that if animals at this 'shelter' are not taken in within a certain amount of time, they are . . . put down." drawled Sasori.

"No way, un! I am not dying like this!"

"I'm with blondie." said Kisame.

"Hn."

"Fuck yeah! These bitches have another thing coming of they think they can get rid of us like that! I'll sacrifice them both to Jashin-Sama!" Hidan attacked the side of the box, clawing at it ineffectively. That only served to attract the attention of the female with brown hair. She reached in and picked Hidan up.

"See how cute she is?" she said, waving her in the other female's face.

"Shut up!" Hidan hissed at the snickering kittens below. "Oy, bitch! Put me down, damn it!" He struggled and squirmed as hard as he could, but the girl held him a vice-like grip. It crossed his mind that such a small girl should not have such a strong grip. It was unnatural.

"Yes, Akuma, they are cute, if a little bizarre. But there are still nine of them."

"Come on, Tenshi! I'll keep them! I have a large house and everything, we'll just have to take care of them for a couple of months, until our parents come back! Pleeeease!" she whined.

"Hey, Hidan! Purr!" hissed Kakuzu. Hidan glared, outraged.

"Why the fuck should I do that?"

"Look at the blonde girl! She's about to crack! Purr and she won't send us to the shelter!"

"Yeah, hm! Do it, do it!"

"No!"

"I don't know, Akuma . . ." she hesitated, running one finger down her cheek in a thoughtful manner.

"Hidan!" hissed Pein. "Do it! That's an order!"

Hidan reluctantly started purring, although it was more a growl than anything else. _'I'm going to fucking sacrifice them all!'_ he thought.

It worked. The blonde stared at the silver cat for a moment. She then sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Alright, fine, fine, fine! But when you move out, you are taking them with you. And you are responsible for taking care of them, is that clear!"

"Yes, yes! Arigato, Tenshi!" Akuma squealed and hugged her friend, Hidan pressed between both their chests, especially Tenshi's rather large one.

"Having fun?" said Kisame. Hidan was unable to answer. Akuma finally pulled out of the hug at Tenshi's insistence that she was suffocating.

"You know who these remind me of?" she said. "The Akatsuki!"

The kittens froze.

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><p>"You know, you're right. I've been trying to figure it out, but I guess that's it. Anyhow, first order of business. They need names, and no, we are not naming them after the Akatsuki." I said. Akuma pouted.<p>

"But why not?"

"Because that would be mildly weird. Now, I'll be naming them, if you don't mind." She was about to protest, but decided against it. "Good. Give me the one you're holding. We'll start there."

She handed me the silver cat. She squirmed slightly and glared at me, ears laid flat against her head.

"She's cranky, ain't she?" I murmured "You'll be Argent. It means silver in French."

"They aren't all going to have French names, are they? Cause that would be boring." I glared at her.

"_No_." I put the newly-dubbed Argent on the floor. She sulked off to the corner of the room, hissing at me. I couldn't figure out why. Argent was a perfectly nice name. I grabbed the nearest cat, which happened to be the stitched one. "Okay, you. A name, a name . . . nothing original comes to mind, so you'll be Frank. Short for Frankenstein." I put him down. He joined the silver in the corner. The next was the black cat with the decidedly bizarre eyes. I moved my head back and forth, playing with the strange illusion.

"He should be . . ." Akuma started.

"No, we are not naming him Itachi." the cat flinched. "Noir. French for 'black.'"

"You have no imagination." she drawled. "Weren't they _not_ gonna have French names?"

"Shut up, I think it suits him. Next, the odd blue one. We'll have to give him a bath, see if we can get this dye off him." I rubbed a strand of his fur between two fingers, frowning. Who could have done this?

"Can I name this one?"

"Only if what you have in mind isn't Kisame." The cat cocked his head attentively.

"It isn't, I promise. How about Jaws?"

"And you said _I_ have no imagination. I suppose you'll want to name mister black-and-white 'Oreo'?"

"You just read my mind!"

"Fine. Jaws and Oreo it is." I took them both out of the box, straining a little to lift Jaws. He was a huge kitty. Now, only a handful left.

"You're pretty, aren't you?" I said, petting the violet cat. She purred, but the orange tom next to her tensed up, watching my every movement. "You'll be Iris; it's a pretty purple flower. Your friend will be Halloween, because he's orange and that's all I can think of. Now out you go." And out of the box they went, Halloween looking a little ticked off at his new name.

I picked up the rusty red one. He stared at me, bored. I raised an eyebrow and stared back.

"Ember." I said shortly. He nodded (?) and I let him join the rest of his friends. Frank and Argent were hissing at each other, ears flattened against their skulls, till Halloween cuffed them soundly and they sulked away, still glaring at each other. Oreo was meowing to himself in two different voices, while Jaws and Noir sat next to each other, the latter looking very dignified.

Finally, only one to go. I frowned. She reminded me of Deidara, my least favorite member of the Akatsuki. He had killed Gaara, for crying out loud!

"She reminds me of Deidara." I said out loud. The cat squirmed, and he others seemed to be laughing at her, but froze immediately after. Bipolar, much?

"Yeah, she does. What are you going to call her?" said Akuma.

"I have no idea. I can't think of anything."

"How about Barbie?" The cat's eyes widened and she squirmed, hissing at her laughing companions.

"No." I said shortly. "No cat living in my house will have such a name. I'll just name her Sunny."

Sunny sulked away. Once she had joined her friends, Argent laughed at her, to which Sunny responded by pouncing on her and gnawing at her ear. They were broken up by Halloween, who acted like the boss of the little pack. Odd kittens indeed.

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><p>Review. I'll update faster if you do.<p> 


	3. An Unsuitable Nickname

Hello once more. First off, thanks to those who reviewed. You know who you are. You get a metaphorical cookie and a hat salute.

You guys are incredibly lucky that I updated, on the basis that I spilled boiling water on my hand, and typing is somewhat (read, very) painful. Make it worth the pain, review.

Also, here are the names I gave the Akatsuki, a sort of memo, if you will:

Hidan: Argent

Kakuzu: Frank

Itachi: Noir

Kisame: Jaws

Sasori: Ember

Deidara: Sunny

Konan: Iris

Pein: Halloween

Zetsu: Oreo

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><p>"Hah, they think both of you are girls!" laughed Kisame.<p>

"That's not funny, hm!"

"Whatever you say, _Sunny_."

"Be quiet!" snapped Pein. They quickly gathered into a half-circle around him. "Here is our plan. We will search for a way to recover our bodies, but in the meantime we must gain their trust. It seems that they have knowledge about us. You will split into two groups: Hidan, Kakuzu, Sasori, Deidara, you will keep your eyes in the blond at all times. Itachi, Kisame, Zetsu, and Konan will tail the brown-haired one. I will gather information on this place in the meantime. Is that understood?"

They all nodded.

"Good. Dismissed."

They split up, each group headed for their respective target, while Pein scratched at the door.

"I think Halloween wants out." said Tenshi, opening the door. He immediately went off to explore. "How about the rest of you?" They didn't budge. They had orders, after all.

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><p>"Okay, whatever floats your boat." I said, seeing that the kittens didn't move from their eerily even half-circle. It had seemed almost as if they were meeting up or something. "Akuma, do you want to sleep in here with me or in the guest room?"<p>

"In your room, of course! Hey, why don't we have a Naruto marathon?" I grinned.

"Good call. I'll get my laptop and the popcorn, you get your stuff up here. And feed the cats while you're at it. There's tuna in the kitchen, you know where."

Leaving Akuma to haul her baggage up the stairs, I made popcorn. The four cats that had tagged along jumped nearly a foot in the air when the kernels started popping. Once the sound had stopped, I added butter and salt. The kittens stared up at me with hungry looks.

"What, you wanna try some? Can cats even eat popcorn?" I asked myself. "Hey, why not." I gave them one piece each, that they seemed to enjoy. Argent whined in an obnoxious manner, scratching at my leg for more.

Once that was done, I carried my laptop and the popcorn up to my room, Sunny, Ember, Argent and Frank nearly tripping me all the way.

We changed into our pajamas, mine consisting of calf-length drawstring pants and a loose t-shirt with a skull on it (both in black), while Akuma wore a pair of pink cupcake patterned shorts and a matching camisole.

"Nice pajamas. New?" I asked.

"Yep! Aren't they cute?" she twirled around, showing off. I rolled my eyes.

The strangest thing was that while we were changing, Iris had hissed at the others, even Sunny and Argent, till they turned and faced the wall, only letting them turn back once we were decently clothed.

I kneeled in front of the cats, noticing that Halloween was missing. I frowned, looking at them intently.

"You guys are the oddest kittens I have ever seen." I murmured. They squirmed under my scrutiny. I frowned harder.

"Tenshi, come on!" Akuma was already in my bed. It was a double bed, pushed into the left corner of my room to save space. On it, a mountain of pillows and stuffed animals (all of them odd, weird, or ugly by conventional standards) provided a nice cushion. My fluffy comforter was dark blue.

We crawled under the covers, installing my computer on our laps. The kittens arranged themselves around us, intently staring at the screen as it booted up.

"Which part do you wanna watch?" I asked, popping a piece of popcorn in my mouth.

"How about the beginning of Shippuden?"

"Sure."

I started the episodes and we watched. I hardly noticed the kittens inching closer as I was sucked into the show.

It was several hours later that we finally called it quits. I yawned, stretching.

"Did you feed the cats?" I said sleepily.

"Yeah. Nighty-night, Tenshi . . ." she mumbled, already half-asleep. It was up to me to turn off the computer. Glancing at my clock, I saw that it was already nearly two in the morning. We'd only gotten to the fifteenth episode (damn slow streaming to hell).Time to get some sleep.

The kittens disappeared as I lay back, and drifted off peacefully

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><p>When Pein returned from his exploration, he found his organization swearing and arguing profusely.<p>

"What happened?" he asked Konan.

"We appear to be . . . on some kind of animated show. We just watched the capture of the One-Tail and the issuing battles between the Leaf, Itachi and Kisame. We need to determine what this is about."

"I understand. Are you sure about this?" he said gravely.

"We all saw it." Itachi said shortly.

"Yeah. That was so weird, watching ourselves fight." added Kisame.

"Fuck yeah! What the fuck is going on in this weird place? Why the fuck did we just watch those two get beaten up?" swore Hidan.

"Hidan. Shut up before I test just how immortal you are in that form." hissed Kakuzu.

"Fuck, that's right! I haven't sacrificed anyone recently! Fuck!"

"Get your priorities straight! I just lost an arm! What'll happen to my art, hm?"

"Brat, you did not lose your arm. That is merely something that may or may not happen in the future. And as for your art, good riddance." said Sasori.

"Aren't you bothered? And my art is flawless, yeah!"

"I am not bothered, no. I believe these girls hold information, and by getting that information we can avoid situations like the one we just witnessed. That aside, our first priority is to recover our bodies."

"Well said, Sasori." Pein nodded. "I have searched the house. It is evident that we are not in the same world anymore. I also have not detected a single trace of chakra, even from the two girls. We will have to wait for a little while longer, I'm afraid."

A projectile flew across the room, startling the Akatsuki. They looked around in a panic for the threat.

Tenshi was sitting up, a profoundly irritated look on her face, ready to throw another pillow at them.

"Quiet!" she hissed. As suddenly as she had popped up, she fell back, sound asleep.

"Hey, bitch!" Kakuzu tackled Hidan as he was about to claw the girl's face off.

"We must gain their trust and the blond female is already suspicious of us! Calm yourself!" he said.

"Fuck you!"

"Hidan! Enough!" growled Pein. The Jashinist reluctantly backed down. "We should get some sleep. We will continue our observations in the morning."

They split up to find places to sleep. Pein and Konan lay down next to each other at the foot of the large bed, Kisame and Itachi curled up on two fallen cushions, Zetsu hid under the bed, Kakuzu lay down in one corner of the room, and Deidara, Sasori and Hidan found places on the mountain of cushions that decorated the bed.

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><p>I woke up the next morning with something warm and heavy on my chest. Blinking sleepily, I looked down to see something very fluffy and bright yellow sleeping peacefully. Oh right, the kittens.<p>

I glanced at the clock. Noon already. I guess, time to get up. I gently nudged the kitten, but Sunny didn't budge.

"Oh, come _on_!" I whispered. I didn't want to wake her up, but I needed to get up now. I picked Sunny up and tried to move her without disturbing her. I failed.

She yawned and looked at me with a profoundly irritated expression. I hadn't noticed before, but she had a patch of grey fur over her left eye, accentuating her resemblance to a certain unliked character of mine. I dismissed the thought as mere coincidence. After all, Deidara was fictional.

"Next time, find a better place to sleep. No matter how comfortable my chest is, I _will_ have to kick you off eventually."

I sat up and stretched. Next step, a shower and clothes. Then, breakfast.

I quickly showered and got dressed in my usual black jeans and black t-shirt combo (today was Nightwish), and returned to my room. Strangely enough, the same kittens had been following me since last night. Argent, Frank, Sunny and Ember stuck to me like glue.

"I guess that means they haven't had breakfast." I mumbled to myself.

I stomped down to the kitchen, still yawning, briefly wondering where Akuma was and if she had managed to eat breakfast without burning my precious kitchen down. I loved to cook, especially pastries, and I routinely badgered my parents into buying me new equipment.

I was tackled to the floor by a whining, brown haired girl.

"Feed me!"

"Didn't you eat yet?"

"And risk your wrath? You _know_ I can't cook to save my life. Remember when you tried to teach me how to bake cookies?"

I shuddered. "Point taken. And those weren't cookies. More like blobs of charred goo."

"Feed me! Feed me!" she repeated, rubbing herself all over me like a cat. Speaking of which, she had her own little troop with her, consisting of Iris, Jaws, Noir, and Oreo. I had no idea where Halloween had disappeared to. Ah well, he'd show up when he was hungry.

I pushed Akuma off and entered the kitchen. It was actually fairly small, with a nice stove, a small refrigerator, and somewhat restricted counter-space but I liked it better that way. It would only fit one person at the time so I could cook without other people getting under my feet.

I shoved them all out of the kitchen and got out ingredients for waffles, my group of kittens waiting on the threshold and looking at me with interested eyes. Funny kittens.

It didn't take me very long before the waffles were ready. I grabbed plates, butter, and maple syrup and carried them to the dining room table, where Akuma sat impatiently. She dug into her food like she hadn't eaten in days.

"Delicious!" she squealed. "Here kitties, wanna try some?" she was about to give a piece to an eager Jaws when I slapped her hand away.

"No. You do not give syrup soaked waffles to cats. They'll get fat." She pouted. "Don't give me that look." I snapped.

"Just a little won't hurt!"

"That's how it starts, Akuma, that's how it starts. Eat your waffle."

"But the kittens haven't eaten all day!" she cried. I froze.

"What?" I said in a dangerously low tone. "You forgot to feed them?"

"That's not it! I gave them some cat food, but they wouldn't eat it! Especially Oreo, he tried to bite my finger off! He didn't, cause he had tiny teeth, but still!"

"That's odd." I said, calmed by her explanation. I squinted at the kittens. They were in another symmetrical half-circle, waiting patiently. "Very odd. All right, I'll make them something, but just this once. Taking care of them is_ your_ job."

"Thank you!" She and the cats followed me once more to the kitchen, where I pulled out some ground meat. I got a skillet, added a bit of olive oil, and cooked the meat. It was the best I could do. Our expenses were definitely going to add up if the kitties insisted on eating people food.

"That reminds me, we have to take them to the vet." I mused out loud.

"What for?" she stopped petting Iris.

"They need to get their shots, a general examination, as well as treatment against worms, mites, stuff like that. Who knows what kind of bugs they've been spreading all over my clean house. Oh, and we need to get them fixed."

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><p>The Akatsuki (Pein included. The smell of cooking meat had drawn him out) froze in their tracks as they processed what Tenshi had said.<p>

"Fixed?" Kisame said in a strangled voice. "As in . . ."

"Castrated." Itachi supplied.

"_Why_ did you have to say it?"

"Fuck, no! I'm not letting them anywhere near my balls!"

"I'm with the fanatic for once." said Kakuzu.

"Pein! Have found out how to get us back yet? Did you hear what she said? This is an emergency, hm!"

"I have not yet found a solution." Pein said stiffly. The prospect of being . . . _fixed_ was highly insulting to him. _And_ he was scared for Konan.

"Well hurry the fuck up!" yelled Hidan.

"What's with them?" Tenshi asked Akuma. "They're _loud_ all of a sudden."

"Maybe they understood you when you mentioned fixed." she replied. "Is that really necessary?" The Akatsuki stood at attention. Maybe Akuma would save them from this fate.

"Yes. Cats that haven't been fixed are more aggressive, territorial, not to mention they _breed_. Fixed cats also live longer, it's been proven." Tenshi said as if she was reciting from a textbook.

"I guess you're right." Akuma sighed. The Akatsuki protested rather vocally. "But they don't seem to like the idea."

"Damn straight, bitches!"

"Yeah, hm!"

"You heard them!" said Kisame. Tenshi left her spot at the stove to crouch down in front of the Akatsuki, staring at them and narrowing her large grey eyes. She did not look amused.

"Well, tough shit. You kitties may be odd, but that doesn't change the fact that you are living in my house. My house, my rules. So," she pointed a black-nailed finger at them. "You guys are going under the knife, manly pride be damned."

They stared at her in shock. It dawned on them for the first time that her nickname was highly misleading. Tenshi was the _real_ devil in this house.

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><p>Okay, I might update again this weekend, depending on my mood, and whether or not my hand feels better. Review.<p> 


	4. And Poof Went The Kitty

And I actually updated again this weekend! My hand is feeling better, and I can now type painlessly! Although I should probably have been doing my homework instead of writing fanfiction . . . oh well.

Thanks to those who reviewed! They quite honestly make my day. So, I tip my hat to you.

I'm thinking of adding another OC.

Anyhow, review!

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><p>I straightened, a grim smirk on my face.<p>

"Now that we've got that straightened out, my dear kitties, who wants food?"

I split the ground meat into nine bowls and set them down for the kitties to eat. Not waiting to see if they ate (that was Akuma's job, after all) I called the vet and made an appointment. Once that was done, I called Akuma to the living room.

"Did the cats eat?" She nodded.

"Yep! So what do you want to do today?" she plopped herself on the couch. I was already reclining in my chair.

"You need to go shopping, but before that the kitties need a bath. With anti-flea shampoo, preferably." I shuddered, thinking of the filth they must already have tracked inside my _clean_ house. Not to mention I had forgotten to clean up the water from last night. Why didn't I do this yesterday? Oh, right. The attraction of anime.

"Okay! I'll run the water, you fetch our first victim!" she bolted up and ran upstairs while I surveyed my little furry charges.

"Let's see, let's see . . ." I contemplated. They looked a bit scared, but held their ground. "Oh come on, it's just a bath, you won't melt. I pick you!" I pointed randomly and landed on Sunny. "Perfect."

I grabbed her up, cuddling her to my chest. "You'll be all nice and clean by the time I'm done with you. The rest of you better not laugh. _You're next_." I said over my shoulder. The laughter-like meows at the disgruntled Sunny immediately stopped. Good, they finally learned who the boss is around here.

In the bathroom, Akuma had filled the bathtub with about two inches of hot water. She was lining up soap, anti-flea shampoo, the hairdryer and a comb in a neat little row next to the cabinet. Sunny's eyes widened.

"I come bearing our sacrifice." I lifted the cat up like that opening scene in The Lion King. This was going to be fun. "What shall we start with?"

"Anti-flea shampoo. That way we can wash the smell off later with this." She held up the soap. "The strongest I could find. Smells like cinnamon, so you'll have a warm, furry, cinnamon scented kitten to curl up with at night." Akuma knew I loved cinnamon. In fact, I used it in nearly all my pastries.

"What do you mean?" I said, kneeling next to her with the cat still pressed against my chest. She seemed to be enjoying it.

"Oh come on! You and Sunny slept together, it was so cute! You never move in your sleep, so she was able to sleep on your chest all night. I think she likes you!" Akuma giggled.

"Really? Well, I guess I like her too. She's fluffy." I petted her thick fur.

"Yeah! You know, I think it's funny that you like cats so much, but you hate people, especially guys."

"Cats are smarter, better behaved, and more loyal than any human will ever be. Humans are selfish, destructive, greedy . . ." I started ranting.

"Yeah, I know, I know. Do you want to do the honors? I'll go get more towels." She gestured to the steaming water. I nodded and she left.

"In you go, Sunny!" I tossed the cat into the water. I was prepared for her to start thrashing (cats hate water after all), for her to start clawing me like I was a scratching post.

I was not prepared for a giant puff of white smoke to fill the room.

I coughed, waving my hand to try and clear it. It did pretty quickly, thanks to the air-conditioning system, but it was still hard to see.

"What the hell was that?" I said to myself. I suddenly heard a cough that wasn't mine. I looked behind me. "Akuma?"

"Guess again, hm."

I whirled around. Sitting in the tub was a man. A naked man with fluffy bland hair, one large bang covering his left eye, a giant sewed up mouth on his chest. A man I had seen just last night, on my computer screen, beating the shit out of my favorite Naruto character.

I stared at Deidara. He coughed slightly.

"Well, this is awkward, hm." I didn't reply.

I turned around and calmly walked out of the bathroom.

I closed the door behind me.

And I screamed.

I screamed and ran down the hall, into my room, grabbed my shinai and whirled around, back into the hall in front of the bathroom door. I took my stance, hands and legs shaking, waiting for him to come out.

When I glimpsed a bit of blond hair, I struck with everything I had, yelling as loud as I could.

It didn't work. He grabbed the bamboo sword with one hand.

"What's you do that for, hm?" he said. I dropped my shinai and ran. "Hey, wait!"

Alright, think, think, THINK! I thought as I ran down the stairs. This is like Ranma ½; hot water turns the kitty into a human, so logic dictates cold water would do the opposite. I heard Akuma calling me, but I ignored her for the moment.

I could hear him behind me. I rushed across the living room, threw open the french windows, grabbed the garden hose and turned around to face the blond, _fictional_, terrorist that had poofed in my bathroom.

He had a towel around his waist, thankfully and he stared at me with narrowed eyes.

"Stay back! I have a hose and I'm not afraid to use it!" I hissed. He rolled his eyes.

"Like that's going to help, hm. Listen, I'm not going to hurt you, alright? Calm down, hm!"

"So says the pyromaniac, crazy, Akatsuki terrorist! Why should I trust you? You're supposed to be fictional!"

"Hum . . ."

"Yeah, that's what I thought! Now BACK! Back I say!" I had my hand on the trigger, ready to spray him with cold water if he made any sudden movements.

"How do you know about the Akatsuki?" he asked seriously. "And what was that show you two watched, hm?"

"Hey! I'm at one asking questions here! The rest of the kittens, they're the rest of the Akatsuki, right?" He nodded. "How did you people get here?"

"We don't know. The last thing I remember is a lot of smoke, hm."

I was about to ask my next question when I heard Akuma squeal.

She was running towards us, and like the brainless Akatsuki fan she was, had her arms spread ready to glomp Deidara. I nearly let go of the hose to smack my hand over my face.

He turned towards her, taken off guard.

I turned the water on.

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><p>For those of you who don't know, a shinai is a bamboo sword used in kendo. Review!<p> 


	5. Yeah, I'm going to die

Yeah, I'm back. I must say, I am a bit surprised at how many people have read this already. The stats page is absolutely fascinating. Although, a large, too large, majority of them are not reviewing. So, to you people out there, reading, I just have one thing to say.

_I see you._

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><p>Akuma stood over a wet, loudly meowing, yellow cat, looking very, very disappointed.<p>

"Why'd you do that?" she whined, picking her . . . I mean _him_ up. Oh god, oh god.

"You're kidding me, right? And put that down, it's dangerous!"

"So what's going on, anyway?" This time I really did smack my hand over my face.

"Akuma, I do not have the time right now. Just gather up the kittens, all nine of them. Don't let them escape."

"Sheesh, you make them sound like criminals." she said, holding the squirming Sunny . . . I mean Deidara! God damn it. She left to do as I asked.

I got to work gathering up the Akatsuki kittens. I grabbed Ember, Argent, Frank and Iris while she caught the rest. I dumped them into the empty laundry basket. The edges were high enough that they would be unable to get out.

"Now, what to do, what to do . . ."

"Hey Tenshi, is this like one of those fanfictions where the Akatsuki turn into kittens and end up in some girl's house?" she asked, excitedly looking down at the furry pile of criminals.

"Close. But we're not keeping them. I'm going to take them to the river and drown them." She stared at me in shock. The kittens hissed, meowed and scratched at the plastic basket.

"Why?" she asked in a strangled voice. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! We, of all the Naruto fans, have been blessed with the presence of the Akatsuki in our house! You should be thanking the gods of anime!" I rubbed my temples.

"Akuma, listen to me. This is not a joke, or a fairy-tail, or some fanfiction. This is serious. There are nine _criminals_ in my house. Real criminals, crazy criminals that have killed a lot of people and done really bad things, some of them for no other reason than that they thought it would be fun. They're planning to take over the world, for god's sake! If we turn them back they are _going to kill us_. Get that through your head, Dawn! This isn't a joke!" I yelled. She sobered up. I only used her real name when I was being deadly serious.

"I'm sorry." she said in a small voice.

"Yeah, so am I. Now help me get these things in the car." I grabbed one end of the laundry basket.

"You can't do that!" she cried, tackling me and wrestling me away from the kittens. She climbed on me and pinned me down.

"Let me go, Dawn." I growled. I was stronger than her, and could get away easily, but I didn't want to hurt her.

"You can't! I won't let you!" She was nearly crying. "I know they're evil and all that, but still! Killing them will screw up the plot for one thing!"

"The plot is already screwed, dumbass! They saw half the first season of Shippuden!"

"We are helping them! That's final!"

"Dawn . . ."

"No! No, no, no, no, no! We are not killing them, or dumping them out on the street somewhere! If you care about me at all, you won't do it!"

We lay there for a minute. She was still holding me down and the prolonged contact was beginning to make me anxious. She had also struck at one of my only weak spots: her friendship meant more to me than almost anything else in the world.

"That was a low blow." I told her. She grinned. "Alright. I'll talk to one of them. But I get a final say in this, understood?" She nodded happily. "Good, now let me go. My aphephobia's kicking in." She got off me hurriedly.

We both stared at the kittens. They were meowing amongst themselves and I had to repress a chuckle. We had thought that Deidara and Hidan were female kittens, and called Pein 'Halloween.'

Yeah, I'm going to die.

"So which one do you want to talk to?" she asked.

"You know Akatsuki better than I do. Take your pick."

"Let me see. Hidan, Kakuzu, and Kisame are out, for obvious reasons. Itachi could just Sharingan our asses and poof the rest. Zetsu? No, he'll eat us. Sasori is too impatient, and after your little stunt with Deidara he's out as well. Pein scares me, so no. Who's left?"

"Konan. Yeah, that should do it; she's Pein's second-in-command, so she's in a good position to bargain. Plus she _seems_ nice, and I'll feel better if it's a girl. Go heat some water."

At my insistence, we set up a rather complicated little situation to make sure Konan didn't go all ninja on our asses. Akuma held the kettle of warm water above the cat, which was cooperating (thank god), and was covered with a blanket (for when she transformed. I don't think she would appreciate being naked in front of eight guys and two strangers), while I stood by, hose pointed at her. If she made any sudden movements, it was back to kitty-hood.

"Okay, Akuma, hit it." She poured the water and with a poof Konan stood in front of us. I wasn't as scared as I had been with Deidara. Konan always struck me as a nice person. Truthfully, of all the Akatsuki she scared me the least.

"Hello." she said, clutching the blanket around her shoulders.

"Hello to you too. Akuma, get behind me."

"But . . ."

"Now!" I barked. She obeyed. "Okay, now what? Are you going to kill us?"

"No, we are not going to hurt you." Konan said calmly. "We do not know how we got here, but I swear we won't kill you."

"Okay, that covers that. What are you planning to do?"

"I'd need to talk to Pein. It would be better if you turned him back so we can talk. Again, none of us will hurt you." I swallowed. I felt that this was a bad idea, but what choice did I have? Plus, if she really wanted to kill me, I don't think my puny hose would help. But at least it made me feel a little better. I nodded slightly. They actually had a vested interest in keeping us alive. We had answers.

"Akuma." I said shortly. She fetched some more hot water, another blanket, and we repeated the same scenario as before. Pein poofed into existence right in front of our eyes. He stared us down, purple ringed eyes bearing down on us with unwavering intensity.

He was scarier in real life. Suddenly my hose didn't make me feel that much better.

"Have you decided not to kill us?" he said. I gulped.

"I've reconsidered." I didn't think he would hold it against me. He was the leader of a criminal organization, after all. "Remember, Konan said you wouldn't hurt us."

"I won't. Provided you tell me what I want to know."

"Okay then, ask away."

"Where are we?"

"The United States of America, in a little city in Washington State. This isn't your world; I suppose you guessed that already. In this world, you guys are the main villains in an anime called Naruto. Meaning, you don't exist. You're fictional. And I'm half-convinced this is all a dream brought on by watching too much Naruto, and I'm going to wake up any moment in my bed and you people won't be here, and I'll go along with my boring life . . ." I stopped when Akuma tapped me on the shoulder.

"You're rambling again," she whispered.

"Oh, yes, sorry, my bad. Continue."

"Who are you?" asked Pein. I think he was starting to get ticked off. That was not good.

"My full name is Angelique, but please don't call me that. Call me Angel, or, better yet, Tenshi."

"And I'm Dawn, but call me Akuma. Nice to meet you!" Akuma piped up, waving enthusiastically. _Idiot!_

"Yes, so Tenshi and Akuma," We nodded. "I would like to ask for your assistance."

"Let me guess. You need a place to crash while you figure out how to reverse whatever jutsu sent you here."

"Exactly."

"What's in it for us?" Akuma rammed her elbow into my ribs. "What?"

"If you help us, we won't kill you."

"Okay, good comeback. Do we have a choice?"

"No."

"Okay then." I lowered my hose. "But I'm going to have to set some ground rules here. Follow them, and we'll get along fine. Don't follow them, and, well, not much we can do about it, but still, you know . . ."

Pein saved me from further embarrassment (I think I was digging my own grave there) "State your rules."

"Okay, rule 1: No killing, maiming, torturing, abducting, sacrificing-that means you Hidan-no blowing shit up-that's for Deidara. Basically, no violence, _especially_ towards Akuma and me. Rule 2: No thrashing the house. I expect to be compensated for any broken items. Rule 3: No touching or going anywhere near the following items: my laptop-the thing we watched movies on last night-, my chair, my room. Rule 4: Under no circumstance must you touch _me_. Ever. I have a phobia of being touched, it's called aphephobia, and I will freak out if you touch me. Trust me it's not pretty. Rule 5 . . ."

"Wait, I don't understand rule 4." said Konan. "Akuma has been hanging all over you."

"Yes, I'm the only one Tenshi will let get anywhere close to her." said Akuma. "Even her family can't so much as shake hands with her." Konan nodded slowly, frowning. I don't think that fully answered her question.

"Rule 5: When you go out, disguise yourselves. I think that about covers it." Pein spent a moment considering.

"Your rules are acceptable. Now will you change the rest of us?"

"Yeah, sure. I still think this is a bad idea, but okay. Akuma." She nodded, and fetched towels (we were out of blankets) and heated more hot water.

The first to get turned back was Itachi. He ignored us and stood in a corner. Next, Kisame. He grinned nastily at us and went to stand with his partner. I shuddered. He was bigger in real life, and scarier, too. All of them were. And so, one by one, the Akatsuki invaded my small living room. I left Akuma to deal with transforming them back (with strict orders to _not_ glomp _any_ of them) while I hunted for clothes. My brother was in college and had left behind quite a lot of his stuff so I was able to find clothes for most of them. I returned to the living room to find a fascinated Akuma poking the sealed mouth on Deidara's chest, much to his annoyance.

"Don't _do_ that!" I snatched her hand away and glaring at her. I was at the end of my rope here. Too many people in too small a space, it was driving me crazy.

"What?" she asked innocently. I momentarily forgot _they_ were all watching us.

"Am I the only one who understands this situation?" I asked to no one in particular. "I have nine, very dangerous, criminals in my house, and you decide it would be fun to poke one of them? This. Is. Not. Good. This situation is not fun, so stop taking it so lightly! You're driving me crazy! Now, excuse me while I go scream into a pillow." I stomped up to my room.

I slammed the door, flopped down on my bed, and screamed into my pillow.

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><p>Remember. I know you're there. <em>I see you<em>, so review. Even a short one is greatly appreciated, you know. Really motivating.

Peace out.


	6. Panic and Pride

I know. It's been a while. I apologize sincerely.

Merry Christmas (a little late, but still). I actually meant to update earlier, since I have two weeks off from school, but I guess it just kept slipping my mind. And, I still need to do my goddamn homework. And, I'm supposed to work on my book. Ah, procrastination, a writer's worst enemy.

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><p>It was silent for a moment.<p>

"What's with that bitch?" said Hidan.

"She . . . has issues. With people. She doesn't like them. I guess this many in such a small space made her snap." said Akuma.

"What's wrong with her, exactly?" asked Pein. He had to now if she was likely to turn on them. Akuma mused for a moment, taping her chin with her index finger.

"Let's see . . . let's see . . . severe aphephobia, that's fear of being touched, coupled with misanthropy, extreme social anxiety, and what else, what else . . . " She hesitated briefly. "That's it. Anyway, she has some issues, so she probably won't hang around you guys very often."

"That will be a problem. We need to know if we can trust her." said Sasori.

"Oh, no problem, no problem at all. She won't tell anyone, she hardly ever _talks_ to anyone. She's really trustworthy, actually. It's extremely hard to get through her defenses, but once you're her friend, she'll do anything for you. Unfortunately, I'm the only one she trusts, and she _definitely_ doesn't trust you guys. Anyway, who wants clothes?"

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><p>I covered my ears with my headphones and lay back on my bed, tuning everything out. The music filled my ears, the fast beat resonating in my chest, blocking out all outside noise. I was off into my own world, and forgot all about the creeps who had invaded my house. Yeah, I should have drowned them when I had the chance.<p>

When I opened my eyes, I was met by a single blue one. Deidara was sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at me. I tore my headphones off and rolled off my bed, getting as far away as I could. He had been less than two inches away from me! Too close, too close!

"What, hm?" He was wearing my brother's jeans and a shirt with an explosion on it. Oh, the irony.

"I believe you are currently violating rule 3."

"Which one is that again?"

"No going in my room. You know where the door is. You may show yourself out." He didn't move. I was starting to get angry. "Get out! Out!" I hissed.

"What's with you, hm?" He examined a stuffed bird that, now that I thought about it, resembled his clay sculptures.

"I don't like having strangers in my room, especially criminals!"

"What's your problem? I slept on your chest last night and you didn't seem to mind." I froze. He stared at me for a bit. "You alright, hm?"

I had forgotten about that. Horror filled me. I had allowed a person-a boy no less-no sleep in my bed. Though he had been in the shape of a cat, that didn't change the fact that . . . oh god, oh god . . .

Akuma came in just as I started hyperventilating. She hurried to my side with a brief glance at Deidara.

I forced myself to take deep, even breaths, while Akuma watched me worriedly. Soon, I was breathing fine, though my heart was pounding. At least I wasn't screaming my head off. She glared at Deidara, who had watched me with interest.

"What did you do?" she nearly growled.

"Nothing, hm!" he said defensively.

"You lay a finger on Tenshi and I swear I will . . ."

"Akuma, stop. He just reminded me of how he slept on my chest last night and I flipped. Don't worry about it, I'm fine." I said quickly. Akuma was scary when she was angry, and strong, despite her petite frame. I sighed wearily. "Just get him out of my room. I'll be down to cook dinner soon, just give me a couple of minutes." I pinched the bridge of my nose. Akuma nodded, grabbed Deidara's arm harder than was necessary (he looked kind of pissed off) and dragged him out of my room, shutting the door behind her.

I flopped back down on my bed and sighed again.

This was _such_ a bad idea.

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><p>"Alright, <em>you<em>. When Tenshi says to do something, it's for a reason. Do not go into her room again, understand?" Akuma hissed at Deidara once they were back in the living room.

"Why should I listen to _you_, hm?"

"Because it will make all our lives much simpler." said Kisame from his spot on the couch. He was currently watching the weather channel while Sasori examined the stereo and Itachi read a book.

"Thank you, shark man." she tipped an imaginary hat to him. He grinned and waved in response. This only served to irritate Deidara further.

"She's odd. I mean, who flips out just at the _memory_ of being touched, hm?"

"That's why it's called a phobia, Deidara." Konan was folding a paper napkin in the shape of a swan. She held it up, admiring her work. "It's not logical. She's genuinely terrified of being touched. Leave her alone."

"Yeah, but . . ."

"But nothing brat. You will obey the rules put down by the girl." said Sasori.

Deidara huffed and stalked off to the kitchen. The girl, Tenshi, was intriguing. He had never met anyone quite like her before. She acted tough, ordering the other girl around, who she seemed to genuinely care for, yet at the memory as being touched she nearly broke down. It was interesting. He wanted to test just how far her fear went. _'There's no way she's that scared of being touched. I guess I'll just have to try and find out, hm.' _

He was in the process of looking through the fridge for something to eat when he heard her walk downstairs. Perfect.

When Tenshi tried to get in her kitchen, she found it already occupied by a mischievously grinning blonde. She frowned.

"Go away. I need to make dinner."

"What if I don't want to, hm?"

"That's going to be a problem then. The kitchen's too small for two so unless you want to starve, I suggest you clear out."

Deidara moved towards her. She thought he was leaving so she stepped to the side.

He leaned over her and planted his hand on the wall behind her, cutting off her escape. Her eyes widened and he saw her swallow nervously. Her eyes darted back and forth from his eye to his arm.

"What are you doing?" she said in a small voice. He could almost _feel_ her heartbeat starting to speed up. He was surprised. He didn't think _this_ level of proximity would make her anxious. But here she was, already starting to sweat. _'Boy this girl would be easy to interrogate, hm._'

"You're really afraid, aren't you?" he said. Still, he didn't back away.

"No, I'm not."

"You're lying, hm."

"How do _you_ know?"

"I'm a shinobi."

"Right. Could you back away now? I'm scared, alright? There, you had your fun, now go away." Her hands were starting to shake.

"I don't feel like it, hm."

"If you don't get away from me right now," she suddenly hissed, _'I see. If pressed far enough she'll go on the offensive._' "I'll . . ."

"What? Seriously, what can you do, hm?" he laughed.

"I'll scream."

"No you won't." he scoffed.

She glared at him furiously with large stormy grey eyes. He stared back, amused. This was actually quite a lot of fun, watching her reaction. He actually had no intention of physically touching her anymore. If she was this anxious just by being in close proximity, then there was no question she would flip if he so much as touched her hand.

Sadly, he did not anticipate just how _much _she would flip.

You see, Deidara did not believe Tenshi would actually scream. So as she opened her mouth and took a breath he automatically covered it with his hand.

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><p>I felt his hand on my face. The mouth on his hand opened and its tongue slithered out, licking my lip.<p>

I bit his tongue, making him yelp and remove his hand. I then tried to slap him, but he caught my hand.

I actually would have been fine if he had just let me slap him. The contact hadn't gone on for too long, after all. It would have relaxed me and allowed me to avoid a full-blown panic attack.

He just _had_ to grab my hand, didn't he?

I felt his hand around my wrist, constricting, warm, too warm, against my clammy skin. The pressure filled me with dread, and a tight ball of anxiety filled my stomach. The fear was awful, and I had the compulsion to get it off, get it away from me, by whatever means necessary. I flipped.

I screamed and thrashed, trying to get him off, clawing at his face with my remaining hand, by he grabbed that one too, making it worse.

I hardly saw Akuma rushing in as I kicked, bit, screamed, and tried everything to make Deidara let go. But he was a trained shinobi, and the more I struggled, the harder he tried to restrain me and the closer we got, which in turn made me struggle harder, in a vicious cycle.

I finally broke down and cried as I tried desperately to get rid of this unwanted contact. It didn't matter who it was holding me down anymore, all I felt was the adrenaline rushing through my veins as my heart beat faster and faster and pain shot through my body, the contact feeling like it was burning my skin off. I couldn't breathe anymore, I was being suffocated, I had to get it off, get it off . . .

In a flash it ended. Cold water drenched me and suddenly I was free. The burning touch was gone.

"Are you alright?" a male voice asked above me. My eyes swirled upwards, and met black ones.

It was Itachi, holding a bucket. I saw Akuma holding a drenched yellow kitten by the scruff of his neck, shaking him vigorously and yelling profanities in three different languages. She was absolutely livid.

The rest of the Akatsuki were gathered in front of the kitchen. Kakuzu and Hidan looked annoyed, Kisame was frowning, Konan looked genuinely concerned and Pein was angry. Sasori kneeled down next to me, making sure to stay at least a foot away.

"Sorry about my partner. He's a fool sometimes." I didn't answer. "Can you speak?"

"Yes," I croaked. I cleared my throat. "Yes, I'm sorry, but could some of you leave? I can't deal with all of you at once." Hidan, Kakuzu and Zetsu left at once, while Kisame, Konan and Pein took a step back. I breathed a little easier.

"Tenshi," Akuma knelt next to Sasori, the kitten-Deidara still in her hand. "Do you need your meds? I'm sorry; I should have known he would try to pull something like this."

"It's not your fault. Yeah, I think I'll take my meds, and a shower." I shuddered and scratched at my wrist. I could still feel the burning touch; it clung to my skin like some kind of disease. I kept scratching till it turned red. If I kept it up I knew I would start bleeding, but I couldn't stop.

"I'll get them right away." she rushed upstairs, tossing the cat into the closet. Sasori looked at me, an eyebrow raised.

"You take medication?"

"Yes. My aphephobia is severe enough that I need anti-anxiety drugs." I slowly stood up, leaning against the counter for support, still breathing hard. My chest hurt, I was covered in sweat, and I was still shaking. I was still experiencing the effects of the panic attack.

Wisely, not one of them offered to help me. Akuma was back in a flash. She handed me my medication and I took it, grateful for the relief they would bring.

"Thanks, Akuma. I should be fine for now. I'll take a shower and get dinner ready, 'kay?" I headed for the stairs.

"You don't have to . . ."

"You think I'm letting anyone near my kitchen?" I smiled weakly and took a deep breath. "I'm fine, really, don't worry."

"Alright. Now, if you'll excuse me I have a blonde to kill." she left, and I went upstairs and took a long shower, ridding my skin of the unpleasant feeling that something was clinging to it. Why did he have to do that? I knew what it was about. He'd wanted to test how severe my aphephobia was. As I thought about it, my fear turned to anger. How _dare_ he? I gritted my teeth, the hot water nearly scalding my pale skin.

Yeah, I really hated that guy.

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><p>Deidara, once more human, sat disgruntled on the couch. His eye twitched as the rest of the Akatsuki were discussing a suitable punishment. His face and arms were covered with bruises and scratches, some of them still bleeding. The girls were gone for the moment.<p>

"I told you to leave her alone," admonished Konan. "If you had listened, you wouldn't be in this mess."

"What possessed you to test her fear, anyway?" asked Kisame, flipping through the channels on the TV.

"I didn't think she would react that strongly, hm. Plus it was an accident. She tried to hit me!"

"And why would she do that?" said Sasori, an eyebrow raised.

"She was about to scream, so I put my hand over her mouth to stop her. It was a reflex! Then she tried slapping me, I caught her hand, she started thrashing, and the harder I tried to restrain her, the harder she fought, hm."

"Didn't it occur to you to let her go, brat?"

"Hum . . . "

They were interrupted by the sound of Tenshi's footsteps.

"Deidara," said Pein in his dangerously low monotone. "If she turns against us because of your mistake I will personally make sure you learn the true meaning of Pain. Is that clear?" Deidara swallowed nervously.

"Have you guys seen Akuma?" Tenshi asked, strolling calmly into the living room, her red-streaked hair still wet from her shower. The ninja could tell she was now, oddly, completely relaxed.

"She was in the garden a couple of minutes ago," said Konan.

"Thanks. Oh, and thanks for helping me out, Itachi." He nodded and she tipped an imaginary hat and crossed the living room, opening the door to the garden.

Deidara was stunned. She was ignoring him! He would have thought she'd be scared, or angry, or something, but not indifferent.

"Hey, girl!" he called. Pein glared, but was pulled back slightly by Konan.

"Just watch, for now," she said quietly to him.

Tenshi hadn't reacted, which only made Deidara angrier.

"Hey, Akuma, what are you doing?" she called. "It's getting dark!" Two seconds later Akuma was back, triumphantly holding a large stick and grinning from ear to ear. "What is _that_?"

"I told you I had a blonde to punish, didn't I? I think I'll hit him with this very large, very dirty stick a couple of time." She nodded to Pein. "If that is alright with you, of course."

"I think that will be quite acceptable." he said. Deidara nearly growled in frustration.

"I am not letting you hit me, hm!"

"You're right, silly me. Tenshi should do it. She used to do Kendo, you know. She knows how to hit harder than I do. Tenshi?" she asked her, offering the stick. The girl shook her head.

"I'm not mad." They all stared.

"The bitch is definitely crazy." drawled Hidan.

"You know, I haven't heard you a lot recently." she remarked. "I'd like to keep it that way, if you don't mind." She smiled sweetly at him.

"Hey, fuck you, bitch!" She giggled. Cue more staring.

"Are you alright?" asked Kisame suspiciously.

"I'm perfectly fine! Why do you ask?"

"You're acting a little . . ."

"Creepy."

"Thank you, Itachi."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Well, I'm off to make dinner." she hummed lightly to herself, skipping to the kitchen.

There was a very heavy silence.

Akuma laughed out loud at their expressions. She had watched, amused, as they struggled with a giggling Tenshi. Tenshi did _not_ giggle; they knew that much by now.

"Don't worry, she gets like that sometimes when she takes her anti-anxiety meds. She'll be back to normal tomorrow morning."

"How peculiar." drawled Sasori. He had hijacked the remote from Kisame. He was soon skimming through the different channels, while Kisame looked on, annoyed.

"I'm fucking hungry!" whined Hidan. He wore only a pair of jeans, his Jashinist pendant resting against his bare chest. Akuma had to stop herself from drooling.

"You are always hungry." said Kakuzu. He was examining a stack of dollars, counting it, holding the bills up to the light, and squinting at the unfamiliar currency. Akuma briefly wondered where he had found it. "Damn it, you made me loose count."

"Who cares? Sasori, give that back!" Kisame reached over to snatch the remote away, but Sasori twitched a finger and he went sprawling on the ground. "Why you little . . . You don't know how lucky you are that I don't have Samehada with me." he growled.

"Kisame. Do not start a fight." said Itachi, not even looking up from his book. It was in French, a romance novel belonging to Tenshi's mother.

"Hum, Itachi? Do you even know what that book is about?" asked Akuma, sitting down between Sasori and Kisame, who had gotten back up on the couch. Itachi blinked.

"Of course."

"Tell me, Itachi, do you know what France is?"

"I do not."

"Then I'm guessing you don't speak French? Because that book is in French. Why are you pretending to read a romance novel, Itachi?"

Kisame burst out laughing. Sasori and Konan chuckled. Pein and Kakuzu just ignored them.

"What is France, hm?" asked Deidara. She glared and stuck her tongue at him. He looked offended.

"What did I ever do to you, hm?"

"You assaulted my best friend." He choked.

"You made that sound so wrong." said Sasori, still flipping channels faster than the average eye could see, much to Kisame's annoyance.

"Yeah, bitch, that could be taken several ways." said Hidan.

"Who knows, maybe _that_ was on his mind back there." said Akuma, smirking at the fuming terrorist.

"I did not! That wasn't my intention, hm. She just overreacted!"

"Whatever you say. Hey, Tenshi! Is dinner ready yet?"

"Yeah. Set the table, would you?" Tenshi's rather floaty voice came from the kitchen. She emerged two seconds later. "I made spaghetti and heated up last night's tomato sauce. I think there's enough for everyone. We _so_ need to go shopping."

"Sweet! I'm on it." She sprang up and headed to the dining room, taking plates and silverware out of the cabinet. Konan stood in the doorway. She tugged at her Avenged Sevenfold shirt (borrowed from Tenshi. Akuma was too short) rather awkwardly. It definitely wasn't her style.

"Do you need any help?" she asked hesitantly.

"Sure! Can you set the tables while I get extra chairs?" Konan nodded.

Akuma fetched as many chairs as she could find; the result was a rather odd arrangement: apart from the six normal chairs, there were three desk chairs taken from Tenshi and her two sibling's rooms, and two office chairs (the kind that swirled around). The table was barely big enough to accommodate all that. Akuma had a feeling Tenshi would be eating in the kitchen, if she ate at all; her medication had a tendency to make her nauseous.

Akuma hurried to the kitchen to help Tenshi carry the food. The latter was decidedly lightheaded. She had actually said they needed to go _shopping_. For her, that was a death sentence.

Dinner that night was a messy affair. All crammed together, it was inevitable that the Akatsuki would start fighting. They bickered over the sauce (there wasn't enough for all of them after all) and only Pein's stern glare kept Hidan from throwing spaghetti at Kakuzu's face. Itachi tried desperately to recover his dignity lost when he was caught pretend-reading french by eating in a stately manner, a cramped Kisame couldn't take a bite without nudging both his partner and Deidara, who was still disgruntled over Tenshi's indifference and threatened to blow him up (hm), forgetting he didn't have his clay. Sasori didn't eat, just keep up a rapid fire channel switching, occasionally yelling at the rest to keep it down. Zetsu had disappeared somewhere (neither girls wanted to know _where_). Konan ate with Akuma in the kitchen, since there hadn't been enough space; it was a small table and Kisame took up a lot of space, the math was simple enough to do.

Tenshi refused to eat. She sat next to Sasori (a comfortable distance away), half-drowsing off, in a comfortable silence. She had always sort of liked him; he died before engendering her disapproval, and she felt that, unlike _some_ in the Akatsuki, he had a reason (half-baked as it was) to have become a criminal.

None of this she would ever say of course. She had her pride.

* * *

><p>Review, dammit! Review! I know you're out there (by the way, thanks to those who did. You know who you are. Rock on!). Remember.<p>

_I see you_. And I have night vision goggles. There is no escaping my sight!

Peace out.


	7. Kitchen Disaster

Hey! Happy New Year, people! Those who reviewed, thank you. Any criticism (constructive) is welcome, as well as any questions you may have.

I'm not sure if I'll be adding Tobi or not. I wanted to include Sasori, and while he's still alive Tobi isn't technically part of the Akatsuki, so I decided not to include him for now.

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><p>I felt so sleepy and light-headed. I vaguely remembered being mad about something, but for the life of me I couldn't remember what. My vision blurred as the channels were rapidly changed in front of me, a blur of images and snatches of sounds. I was nauseous, too.<p>

I was starting to think I'd overdosed, or something.

I was half-asleep when Akuma's hand shook me. I always knew it was her; there was a soft, cool quality to her touch. It felt different from other people, so I could tolerate it. It even felt nice, when I was in a particularly good mood.

"Hey Tenshi? You should go to bed now."

"In a minute. I still need to tell these people where to sleep, right?" my speech was slightly slurred.

"Is the bitch fucking drunk, or what?" That was Hidan, I knew it.

"Hidan. Shut up." A deep, growling voice. Kakuzu.

"We're back. **What happened during our absence?**" Two different voices. It was the first time I had heard the plant-man speak. The effect was odd: two voices from one body?

"Not much, I'm afraid. It's dreadfully boring around here."

"Kisame. That is something you should say in front of our host." admonished Pein.

"It's alright, alright. Okay . . . Kisame and Itachi, you can take my brother's room. Deidara, you get my sister's. Pein and Zetsu get the guest room, Hidan and Kakuzu will stay in the attic . . ."

"Why the fuck do we have to stay in the attic?"

"So I can hear you if you try to sneak out and sacrifice some guy, or steal something. And I _will_ hear you. Those stairs creak like hell. Konan, my parent's bedroom is yours, Akuma, you'll stay with me, and Sasori feel free to keep . . . changing the channels, or whatever."

"Why did you separate Pein and Konan?" asked Akuma.

"Because no girl will share a room with a boy under my roof. My house, my rules, follow them, or get the hell out." I was starting to snap out of it, and was turning grouchy. I really needed to sleep now. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. Akuma, show them where to sleep."

I ignored all of them and staggered upstairs, exhausted. I changed into my pajama in a daze and buried myself under my safe, fluffy mass of blankets and stuffed animals. Opening my eyes, I saw the stuffed bird that looked oddly like one of Deidara's sculptures. Now that I thought about it, it was a gift from Akuma. She had made it herself (it was a hobby of hers). Was it on purpose? I shrugged, turned off the light and snuggled under my comforter, forgetting about all that Akatsuki nonsense.

The next morning, I lay in bed as the sun filtered through the windows, bright, cheerful, annoyingly so. I really didn't want to get up. Getting up would mean having to deal with the Akatsuki. I _really_ didn't want to deal with the Akatsuki.

Akuma was in seventh heaven right now. Her favorite characters were up and about, off the screen and in the flesh, arguing and bitching and talking, and I knew they could kill us at the drop of a hat but she insisted on making friends with them. What for? They were going to leave. Leave, and we would go back to our annoying, endless, boring world. I didn't mind that it was boring. It was safe, at least, and I would be able to curl up inside my little bubble where no one could touch me, with my music and my anime.

I just had to wait a little longer. After all, it couldn't take them that long to figure out how to get home, right? These guys were supposed to be the best of the best.

I reluctantly sat up. Alright, Tenshi, one foot after the other, small steps, you can do it.

I got dressed (usual jeans and t-shirt. Today was Within Temptation), and headed out, seriously considering getting Akuma to buy me a dead-bolt to install on my door. It probably wouldn't stop them but it might slow them down.

Something smelled like it was burning. I froze.

"Oh, no . . ." I said out loud. "Not my kitchen!"

I ran downstairs as fast as I could, passing a startled Konan and burst into the kitchen. Upon the sight I encountered, I nearly fainted.

Deidara, in front of my stove, a charred mess in one of my frying pans, spewing great quantities of smoke in the air. He poked at it with a spatula, and I swear it sizzled and bubbled, dripping melted plastic all over the mess.

We stared at each other while a profoundly heavy silence weighted on us like lead.

"What was it supposed to be?" I asked icily. His visible eye widened when I spoke.

"I found your pancake recipe." he said simply. There was nothing more to say.

"I see. Out." I hissed, venom in my voice. "Out, out, OUT!" I grabbed a carving knife and threw it, missing his face by an inch. I grabbed another and pointed it menacingly.

He cleared out pretty fast.

I turned the heat off and grabbed the pan, running it under hot water. I tried to scrub it, in vain. _How_ had he managed to do this? I kept scrubbing as hard as I could, but no, it was definitely unsalvageable. I swore under my breath when I realized he had ruined my best cast iron pan. That thing was expensive, damn it, and it was truly the best I had. It belonged to my great-grandmother!

I stomped into the living room. Kisame and Sasori where arguing over the remote again, Kakuzu was _still _counting money, which was probably my savings (I'd deal with him later) Itachi was reading another book (_still_ in french. He will never learn). Pein, Zetsu, Konan, Hidan, and Deidara were nowhere in sight. I brandished the frying pan (with the charred piece of . . . I don't know what it is, still sticking on the bottom),

"Akuma!" I yelled. "Get your ass in here! And bring Deidara and Pein, NOW!"

She came rather quickly, trailing the rest of the Akatsuki.

"What's wrong?" she asked, in a voice so perky it made my teeth ache. I pointed at the bomber.

"Who let him cook?"

"He cooked, really?"

"Tried to. Destroyed my cast iron frying pan. You," I pointed at Kakuzu, "Are paying for it. I don't care how. Rule 2. Now _who was it?"_

Itachi raised his eyes from his book. He silently stared at Kisame.

"Kisame . . ." I said in a low voice.

"Alright, it was me, but I was hungry and Akuma told us not to wake you up, so . . ."

With a yell of rage I swung my frying pan at him. He ducked and sprang away. Damn ninja!

I wanted to cry. Like a zombie I let my arms fall to my side. Kisame looked at me cautiously, ready to duck. I walked to the couch and sat heavily next to Sasori, my pan on my lap, placing my elbows on my knees and my face in my hands. I was silent.

"Tenshi?" asked Akuma. I didn't answer.

"Oy, bitch! Are you going to make us breakfast, or what?" yelled Hidan. I briefly glanced at him and froze. He was lounging in my chair. He. Was. Lounging. In. MY. Chair.

No. First, Deidara gives me a panic attack, my pan is destroyed, and now Hidan had occupied my favorite chair, all in less than twenty-four hours. Enough was _enough_.

I got up, slowly, deliberately, and they all backed away at the murderous aura I was giving off. I stood over Hidan, glaring.

"You are currently in violation of Rule 3. Please remove yourself from the chair at once." I brandished the pan threateningly.

"Make me, bitch." He yawned. I noticed he had yet to put on a shirt. I debated swinging the frying pan at him, but decided against it. He would probably enjoy it.

"If you say so." I went to the kitchen, the Akatsuki clearing out of my path. A glance at my poor pan increased my rage. I filled a glass with water, and returned to the living room. Hidan still hadn't budged.

"Last chance, buddy. Move. _Now_."

"Fuck you." he flipped a very rude gesture at me.

I dumped the water on him.

I grabbed the squealing silver cat by the scruff of his neck and tossed him in the closet, slamming the door.

"Alright, you fictional, murderous creeps . . . if any of you break another rule I will lock you in the closet with Hidan. Deidara, that's two strikes. Three and I'm taking you to the vet, and you can kiss your manhood goodbye. Same for the rest of you, Pein and Konan excluded, of course. Is that clear?" my voice was low, quiet. Nobody answered. "IS THAT CLEAR?"

"Yes, (hm)."

"Good. Now, I'm going to make breakfast. No one is to set one foot in my kitchen while I'm not there. Not. One. _Foot_."

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><p>Review! Remember, I see you.<p>

Peace out.


	8. Annoying Songs and Nosy Neighbors

Hey! How's everybody doing? I've been wondering, are you guys in the US back from Christmas vacation? I am. Back to classes, getting up at 6:40 in the morning, staying there till 5, sometimes 6, o'clock. Man, I hate the french school system.

Sorry about the rant. I just have no time to do anything outside school, with the homework and all. So, yeah, don't be surprised if I don't update all that often. I have the first exams in french and history/geography of the baccalaureate this year, so I have to study. Plus the international classes I'm taking. Plus taking extra lessons to learn Japanese. Plus going to Kendo every week . . .

I wish I had more time to write. So review!

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><p>After breakfast, Akuma and I sat on the couch while the Akatsuki went outside to train. I had granted them use of my garden as long as they didn't harm the tree (a Japanese sakura) and didn't use any jutsu or make too much noise. They promptly ignored the last rule and yelled and hit each other as hard as they could, making an incredible cacophony.<p>

We sat, listening. My head felt like it was going to slip open. I rubbed my temples and resisted the urge to spray them all with the garden hose. I don't think Pein would appreciate it, and I liked having use of my limbs, thank you very much.

"We need to go shopping." Akuma said abruptly.

"_Why_ am I included in that?"

"Because you need to get out more." she said with uncharacteristic harshness. "I know you hate being around people, Tenshi. But . . ."

"But nothing." I cut her off.

"I'm serious, Tenshi. Going to the mall won't do you any harm. Besides, I'll need your help controlling the guys we bring along."

"Wait, what . . ."

"I was thinking, we should bring two. The rest can stay here. That way each of us is responsible for one. They can help us pick out sizes, and with what food they want to eat."

"Are you _tripping_? You think I'm going to let them stay here _alone_?"

"Well . . . I was thinking of calling a friend of mine . . ."

"No. Absolutely not. I am not letting a stranger into my house."

"You can trust her, I swear!"

"How do I know that?"

"You trust my judgment, don't you?" she grinned happily.

"Did you perhaps consume sugar?"

"I had pop tarts for breakfast." I face palmed.

"Of course. I guess I can allow it, if you'll vouch for her. You'll just have to ask the Akatsuki first."

"Ask us what, hm?"

I glared at Deidara. After my pills had worn off, I had remembered how angry I was. The fact that he destroyed my pan just made it worse. And the noise wasn't helping. And the mall thing.

My life is suddenly way too complicated. I had the urge to smack him over the head with my destroyed pan.

"We're going to the mall, apparently. She," I jerked a thumb towards Akuma. "Wants two of you to come along."

"I see."

There was a long awkward silence. Well, there would have been if the rest of those guys weren't making an absolutely _ungodly_ amount of noise. I guess Deidara was taking a break, or something along those lines. He was covered in sweat, and to be honest, he stunk. My sense of smell is very well developed (an advantage when I'm cooking) so I could tell. Akuma stared at him in a creepily, unwaveringly intense way and I swear I saw her drool. He was trying very hard to ignore her. In the process his eye landed on me, staying fixed, containing an expression I couldn't decipher. He looked away before I could figure it out. I was momentarily puzzled, but quickly discarded the moment. I had enough on my plate without having to deal with a passing look. My mind was forcefully switched back to the incredible noise. Evidently, so was Akuma's Akatsuki-obsessed one.

"Hey, Tenshi, can't you do something about them?" said Akuma, clasping her hands over her ears. "They're giving me a headache!"

"Same here. Give me two seconds to think of something."

My gaze wandered around the living room, round and round, and landed on the stereo. Maybe . . .

Akuma had caught my gaze, and was now grinning.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Tenshi?" she said.

"I believe I am, Akuma. Let's hit it."

We dragged, pushed and shoved the stereo system up to the open french widows. I had to go get an extension cord, but other than that we managed it just fine.

"What are you two planning?" Deidara said suspiciously as Akuma pulled out earplugs.

"Nothing violent. Do you want some?" She offered the earplugs to him.

"Hum, no thanks, hm."

"You'll regret that in . . . let's say one or two minutes, give or take." I said, putting my own in. I flipped through my CD case, finding the one I was looking for, put it in the stereo, turned the sound up as loud as it would go, and pressed play.

'I know a song that gets everybody's nerves' blared out full force.

Deidara twitched. The rest of the Akatsuki paused, looked at us briefly and resumed their training.

"How long to you give them?" I hollered because of the noise and the earplugs. She held up five fingers. I held up three, and pulled out a stopwatch.

One minute. Deidara was still twitching, harder and harder. A vein bulged at his temple. He finally caved and grabbed the earplugs, jamming them in his ears and collapsing on the couch with a sigh of relief.

Two minutes. Hidan yelled at us, telling us to 'shut that fucking thing up.' We grinned and pointed to our ears, showing that we couldn't hear him. I think he would have wrung our necks right then and there if Pein hadn't glared at him.

Two and a half minutes. Sasori was the only one unaffected (being a puppet). Kisame, Kakuzu and Hidan were now all yelling at us, while Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep his cool. Pein and Konan covered their ears with pained looks. Akuma stood up and did a little dance.

Two minutes and forty-five seconds. Kakuzu used his tentacles to restrain Hidan, glaring at us with a frightening, homicidal look in his eyes, but unable to do anything. Kisame marched over to the stereo and tried to turn it off without breaking it, and the effort was driving him wild. If he broke it, he would have Kakuzu on his ass, and even the Akatsuki could tell that thing wasn't cheap.

Two minutes and fifty five seconds. Pein himself intervened.

"For the love of God, _shut that thing off_." he growled. I obliged, and pressed the stop button on my stopwatch. Three minutes exactly.

"Oh yeah, you owe me ten bucks Akuma!" I grinned evilly, popping my earplugs out.

"No fair, I didn't know we were betting!"

"Who cares? Pay up!" She grudgingly handed the money over.

Deidara looked around and removed his earplugs.

"Is it over, hm?" he got stunned looks from the rest of them.

"You fucking son of a bitch! I'll fucking sacrifice you!" Hidan lunged at him and he skipped away.

"What did I do?"

"You were fucking spared that torture!" He was pulled back by Kakuzu's tentacles. Itachi rubbed his temples tiredly, and sat down heavily on the couch. Kisame joined him with a dark glance at the stereo.

"Explain yourselves. _Now_." said Pein.

"I said _no_ noise, didn't I?"

"What was that song anyway? I've never encountered anything so, so . . ." said Kisame.

"Irritating." supplied Itachi.

"Exactly."

"It's called 'I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves." said Akuma sweetly.

"Yeah, like we hadn't guessed _that_ . . . hm."

"Do not do that again." hissed Pein. "Or you _will_ regret it."

"Fine, fine, just don't make any noise or the neighbors . . ."The doorbell rang. "Shit."

"Who do you think that is?" asked Akuma.

"Probably Misses Adelman. Prissy old bat . . ."

"Are you going to answer?"

"Yeah, yeah . . . you, people, criminals, upstairs, now."

They glared at me. I don't think they liked being ordered around. Well, tough shit.

"Come on, boys, up and at'em."

"Do as she says." said Pein. He and Konan were the only ones unaffected by my tone of voice. The organization grudgingly agreed, slowly making their way to their rooms.

"Oh, and no noise. I mean it this time. If Misses Adelman finds you here, she'll call my parents and you kitties will be out of a home. So, _quiet_!" I thought for a moment. "Or, on second thought, please do make noise. That way I can kick you ou . . ." Akuma slapped her hand over my mouth.

"She doesn't mean it. Quiet!" She placed her finger over her mouth in a shush gesture to emphasize her point. Pein ceased glaring daggers at me and joined his crew.

I sighed heavily, steeling myself, and opened the door. It was indeed Misses Adelman, a little old lady with extremely thick glasses she uses to spy on her neighbors (the reason why we have a very high fence in the first place). She is the nosiest person I have ever had the displeasure of meeting.

"Angelique, is everything all right? I heard some awful noise coming from your garden." she smiled in a leery way. "Having boys over, are you? Ah, youth!" I turned beet red, half of embarrassment, half of anger.

"No, it's not . . ."

"Have you finally got a boyfriend? Have you kissed him yet? Come now dear, you know I would never tell on you! You can tell me!"

I was too shocked to answer. The old woman kept rambling, eager for some gossip, which she now had plenty of. With an inward yell of despair, I realized that by this time tomorrow everyone in the neighborhood would be talking about how Angelique White was having boys over, doing only god knows what, while her parents were away. That made it official. I was never stepping out of my house again. If only my parents would let me sign up for those online classes!

I silently begged whatever-god-there-was that the Akatsuki couldn't hear what she was saying. That would be so embarrassing, never mind staying at home. I would barricade myself in my room!

Whatever-god-there-is must have heard me praying, for Akuma came to my rescue.

"Oh, Misses Adelman! Fancy seeing you here. Sorry about the noise, we were watching TV, sorry, we'll keep it down, okay by-bye!" She slammed the door in her face. I locked it. And slammed the bolt for good measure.

"Is she gone?" Pein was back.

"Yes." I said shortly and headed to the kitchen to splash water on my face. I hated it when I blushed. I have very pale skin, so it tends to show. I finally cooled down and my complexion turned back to its normal, fair shade.

"That was funny!" laughed Hidan, throwing himself on the couch.

"You . . . heard?" I said slowly.

"Fuck yeah! We're ninja, remember that, bitch!"

The blood rushed back to my face.

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><p>Yeah, the new OC will be coming in soon. I still have no idea who she is, though. I'll probably just make her up as I go along. If you have any suggestions, fire away.<p>

Review. Or Tenshi will play the most annoying song ever, over and over again, till you feel like you want to bash your head through a window.


	9. An Expanding World

Yeah, I'm alive. Sorry, this chapter isn't the greatest. I really haven't had time to work on this, but I wanted to get something out before this weekend. I'm so tired . . .

Although, good news! My dad came back from Japan and guess what he brought me back? A Vocaloid! Kagamine Rin/Len! Now, I just have to find the time to play with it. And write. And work . . .

Dammit.

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><p>I barricaded myself in my room.<p>

Okay, not quite. But I did put a chair under the doorknob and hide under the covers. There was no way I was coming out. The embarrassment would simply be too much to bear.

Someone pounded on the door. I ignored them, burrowing deeper under my comforter, hugging my favorite stuffed snow leopard.

"Tenshi, come on out!" It was Akuma. "We have to go shopping! There's no more food left! Come oooooon!"

"No!" I yelled.

"You're going to have to come out eventually!"

"Try me!"

"Tenshi!" her voice got darker. "If you do not open this door right now, we'll break it down!" I froze.

"Don't you _dare_!"

"Try me." I could just _hear_ the smirk in her overly-sweet voice. A large bang echoed and the door trembled. They were actually going to break down my door! That little . . .

I grudgingly peeked out from under the covers.

* * *

><p>"Okay, Kisame, you know what to do! Go get'em!" Akuma cheered.<p>

"Why am I doing this again?"

"Because I promised to get you as much shrimp as you want from the store." she said sweetly.

"Right, right."

"Your methods are remarkably different from your friend's." said Itachi. Akuma jumped. It was the longest she had heard him speak in the entire time he was here. It was actually mildly scary, but Akuma had acquired a wide streak of bravery throughout the years of dealing with a grouchy, short tempered angel.

"Well, yeah. I prefer to use more, let's say, gentle methods, like bribing or convincing. Tenshi prefers to push people around to get what she wants." She rolled her eyes.

"Why is that?" It seemed to Itachi that her current method to get Tenshi to come out was not exactly gentle.

Akuma shrugged, saying in an evasive tone, "She's always been a little on the violent side. Fire away, Kisame!" Akuma pointed enthusiastically.

Kisame backed up a little, and slammed into Tenshi's door. And again. That's all it took to fling it violently open, the doorknob and the chair under it both broken beyond repair. Akuma strode victoriously over to the lump under the blue comforter, and tapped it lightly.

"Tenshi, could you please act your age?"

"Are _they_ there?" A muffled voice came from underneath the covers.

"Yes."

"Then no." Akuma silently motioned for Kisame and Itachi to leave, which they did without complain.

"Come on! They're gone. You're acting really childish, you know." she said matter-of-factly. There was silence. The lump shifted slightly.

"I'm going to go insane, aren't I? It's bad enough having to deal with normal people, now _this_?"

"Tenshi, you and I both know that sometimes, the appropriate response to reality is to go insane. You're already half-way there, anyway, so what does it matter?"

"I suppose you're right."

"I am. Now get up. Take your shinai with you and hit anybody who makes fun of you, if it makes you feel any better." Tenshi poked her head out of the covers.

"I think it would."

"Good. Now let's go."

* * *

><p>I crawled out from under the covers, glaring at Akuma's triumphant grin. But she had, indirectly probably, reminded me of something. I do not take shit from <em>anybody<em>. Even mass murdering, half-insane, fictional criminals. As Akuma had pointed out, I was half-insane myself. And even if I had to go completely insane, I was not about to let these guys walk all over me.

I returned downstairs, my bokuto belted at my waist. I had decided that I had better step up the damage-dealing factor a little bit, since these were insanely strong criminals I was dealing with. A shinai was nice and all, but when compared to a bokuto, couldn't really hurt anybody. A bokuto is a sword make of a single piece of wood, and can actually deal damage similar to that done by clubs. It would definitely be more effective than a flexible shinai made of bamboo slats.

I stepped into the living room.

Sasori had evidently gotten bored with switching channels and was reading one of my textbooks (the math one, to be precise), Kakuzu, Hidan, Deidara, and Kisame were watching cartoons, looking bored out of their small minds, and Itachi was reading a book (finally, one in English). Pein and Konan were nowhere to be seen. Neither was Zetsu, but what else is new?

To my surprise, no one made fun of me. That was strange.

"Oy, bitch! Make us lunch!" said Hidan. I twitched. His tone was irritating but I was also a bit relieved.

"What am I, the maid?" I grumbled, heading to the kitchen. "Is that the whole extent of my purpose on this earth? To feed these freeloaders?"

Once I was in my kitchen where no one could see me, I chuckled slightly to myself as I scrounged up enough ingredients for today's lunch.

I didn't know what was so funny, but something struck me like a ton of bricks. How long had it been since I'd last laughed, even a little? I actually couldn't remember.

Well, at least the nightmares hadn't been tormenting me. I must be making progress.

After lunch (which was a messy affair, let's just leave it at that) we were off to the mall. I wasn't going by choice, just so you know. It was just that I was the only one who could drive. Akuma didn't have her license yet. It was probably a good thing, considering her terrible hand-eye coordination.

Akuma had called her friend, who was scheduled to show up soon. I was nervous about that. An unknown person in my home, that made me iffy.

Deidara had volunteered to come with us, much to my displeasure. At least he was one of the more _normal_ looking ones. All he had to do was remove his scope, put on fingerless gloves to hide the creepy mouths, and he was fine. This was a small town after all, so there weren't many Naruto fans die-hard enough to recognize the Akatsuki without the cloaks. Now that I thought about it, there were actually no anime fans that I could think of. How strange. But then again, I hardly knew anybody.

Hidan had also wanted to come, but I instantly vetoed that, shuddering at the horror of having to deal with him at the mall. Instead, Akuma proposed Sasori. Deidara's partner, and mature enough to be trusted (to a certain extent). Itachi would have done the trick, as well as Konan, but they were holed up in the guest room with Pein and Zetsu. The others were out of the question.

"And why the fuck can't I come?" the Jashinist yelled at me. A vein was starting to bulge at my temple again. If this kept up, I would get a heart attack, or something similarly nasty. Maybe a stroke.

I head the doorbell ring for the second time that day, which was twice too many times, granting me an excuse to ignore Hidan.

I opened the door suspiciously.

On the threshold was a girl. I don't know what I was expecting, but that wasn't it. She was tall and lanky, with her black hair cut pixie-short, a slightly round face, and heavy-lidded eyes. She was wearing very short denim cutoffs, black and purple stripped tights, knee-high combat boots with neon green laces, a purple fishnet shirt under a sleeveless, midriff top the same color as her shoe laces. She had a lip piercing, bright makeup, fingerless gloves, and a spiked collar and bracelets.

I think the best term to describe her would be . . . eccentric.

"Hey, Angel." she smiled broadly.

"Do I know you?" I was suspicious.

"I'm in your year, remember?" She didn't look the least surprised by the fact that I didn't recognize her. "I guess you wouldn't. Since our school has a uniform, I can't really dress the way I want to. My name is . . ."

"Yuri!" squealed Akuma, jumping in the girl's arms. "Thanks for coming! Come inside!"

"Yes, please, make yourself at home." I said sarcastically as I followed the two. Akuma pulled the girl to the living room, where the Akatsuki were assembled.

She proceeded to introduce them, one by one, whispering little pieces of advice on how to deal with them. I hung back for this part. When Akuma went upstairs to fetch Pein and the rest, I approached Yuri cautiously.

"So what's your real name?" I asked. "I know Akuma gives Japanese nicknames to nearly everyone she meets."

"My real name's Ava. Yeah, she's a bit odd like that." She smiled demurely.

"Did Akuma fill you in on all the details?"

"You mean the whole kitten-fictional character thing? Yeah, I'm up to date. Leave it to me!"

I nodded briefly. She seemed trustworthy, and since Akuma had vouched for her, I decided I would let her stay. I honestly didn't remember her, but then, I remembered nobody. Everybody around me at school seemed to have to same face, the same voice, they all blurred together till I could no longer tell who was who. Names didn't matter; I could never fix them in my mind unless something made them stand out. And I took great care not to notice anything. I voluntarily shut them all out. It was so much easier that way.

Yuri seemed like a pretty nice person, but I resented her because I wouldn't be able to ignore her after this. She was forever marked in my mind, and once I noticed something, nothing short of hypnosis could make it invisible again. With the addition of the Akatsuki, my world was expanding rapidly, and I didn't like it one bit. Or at least, I _think_ I didn't.

But I was forced to leave such thoughts behind as we led Deidara and Sasori to the car.

This was going to be interesting.

* * *

><p>Review! Support the poor, overworked author!<p>

Also, I'm going to do a little contest. Whoever guesses where Ava's nickname (Yuri) comes from will get to see their OC included in this story!

Peace out.


	10. Bite me!

Hello! This chapter is longer that what I usually write. The reason for that is that I actually feel kinda bad for not updating more frequently. Enjoy.

Also, I've decided I'm going to take the time to respond to a couple of reviews at the end of each chapter.

Yes, I feel really bad.

Just read it.

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><p>"Deidara, sit down, dammit!" I yelled. He ignored me and kept leaning out the window, blonde hair fluttering behind him as we sped down the freeway, laughing wildly.<p>

"We're going to get stopped by the cops! Quit it!" I should have saved myself the trouble. With the wind roaring in his ears, there was no way he could hear me. He was probably half deaf from years of exploding shit anyway.

The trip had _started_ fine enough. They had climbed rather reluctantly in the car, Akuma had shown them how to put on their seatbelts, I had started the car, and off we were. Sasori had stayed quiet, still as a log, behaving himself perfectly well, looking like a normal teenager in his faded jeans and a black hoodie that actually belonged to me. Akuma was pleased as punch, giggling to herself, babbling a little, but she was never a problem. Oh no, that . . . that . . . that _terrorist_, was the real problem here.

I made a mental note to never take him out with me again.

As soon as we'd gained speed on the freeway to the nearest mall (a forty minute drive. Yes, we live in the middle of nowhere), he'd somehow figured out how to untie his seatbelt and roll down the window. I didn't care if he hung his head out the window like a dog, especially if he hit a mailbox, but I had to draw the line at actually sitting on the edge of the windowsill. He'd hooked his foot on the seat to keep himself from falling and leaned fully out.

"Deidara! I mean it!"

"He can't hear you." drawled Sasori.

"This is great, hm! Just like flying! Hey, girl, go faster!"

"No! I'm at the speed limit already! Now get your ass back where it belongs!"

"Hey, Tenshi, can I do it too?" yapped Akuma, bouncing in her seat like a Chihuahua.

"No! What _is_ it with you people?"

Okay, time for drastic action. I quickly checked to see if no one else was behind me, and slammed on the breaks. Sasori and Akuma flew forward, but were held back by their seatbelts. Deidara was not so lucky.

I heard a yell and a crash. I grinned. Akuma stared at me in horror.

"Did you just do what I think you did?" she asked in a strangled voice.

"Yep." I unbuckled my seatbelt.

"That's dangerous!"

"Fight fire with fire." I stepped out of the car. I paused at the look she gave me. "Oh, relax; he's a professional bomber _and_ a ninja. This won't kill him, sadly."

Deidara stood up, slowly, emanating an aura of murder. His hands and chin were skinned, and he looked seriously winded.

I leaned with one elbow on the hood of the car, crossed my leg, and grinned the most self-congratulatory, mocking, cocky grin I could muster.

"Crash and burn?"

"Fuck you, hm."

"Language, buddy." He reached out as if to grab my throat, but resisted the urge, hand grasping at thin air like a claw.

"I'll get you for this, bitch, hm." he snarled.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Now get back in, sit, and _stay still_."

The atmosphere as I started the car once more was unbelievably tense, so I put some music on. The first CD that fell in my hand as I rummaged through my collection, one eye still on the road, was Fuel by Metallica. Perfect.

I nodded my head to the beat, Akuma glancing plaintively at me. She really hated this type of music. To my surprise, Deidara actually joined me, drumming his fingers on the seat.

The tension was unwound, just like that. And Deidara was too busy concentrating on the unfamiliar music to try any more aerial acrobatics.

And so we arrived with minimal delay to the mall. It was fairly big, with all the shops you could imagine, so I was anxious, but the small number of cars in the parking lot made me feel a little better. We stepped out, and off we were.

"Tenshi, we should split up. One group should get clothes and the other can get food. Here, you know the code." She handed me a credit card. "Now, you can go . . ."

I quickly caught Sasori by the hood of his sweater.

"Okay, we'll get food, you guys get clothes." I said quickly, leaving before Akuma could protest. I knew she would want to make me go with Deidara, just to piss me off. Well, I wasn't falling for that. If I was going to do this, I would take the one who was less likely to make me bang my head against the wall.

I let him go once we were far enough away. He looked as bored and catatonic as usual, but I think he was slightly irritated with me. Oh, well.

"We should finish this quickly." he said.

"Right. So glad you agree."

We went to the supermarket. He looked around curiously while I picked out what we would need for the next couple of weeks. Sadly, there was no way I could get what I normally would, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, decent meat, basically healthy ingredients that could be cooked into nice meals. Cooking real meals for ten people three times a day was simply beyond my capabilities. I would have to get stuff like instant noodles, frozen pizza . . . you see what I mean. Man, this was depressing. And how was I supposed to feed Zetsu? Come to think of it, I hadn't seen him recently. Well, as long as he didn't try to eat me in my sleep . . . that reminded me, I had to fix my door . . . damn Kisame . . . Oh, right, Akuma told me to get shrimp . . .

"What is that?" I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"What is what?"

"That." We were passing through the candy isle.

"Marshmallows. A type of candy. You don't have them in your world, do you?"

"Those are edible?"

"Of course. Quite good, but they're better if they're homemade."

"I see."

"You don't eat, right?"

"No."

That was the end of that.

We shopped in silence, going as fast as possible. I couldn't didn't run for fear of crashing my cart into someone, sadly. On a whim I picked up some gelatin and corn syrup. Making marshmallows sounded like a good idea. Akuma loved them.

At some point, I turned around and noticed Sasori was gone. I whirled around in panic, hoping to see him somewhere. I hadn't been paying attention to him, trusting him to keep himself out of trouble.

Yeah, I'm an idiot.

"Sasori!" I yelled, drawing strange looks from the other shoppers.

God dammit. I lost Sasori. I actually lost Sasori! Okay, now was the time to start panicking, right?

"Shit!" I cursed, abandoning my cart and running off to look for him.

* * *

><p>Sasori was momentarily distracted by the large variety of candy, most of which he had never seen or heard of. When he turned around, Tenshi was gone.<p>

He silently cursed, and set out to find her. He tried sensing her, but she didn't have any chakra. He turned around several corners and found himself in another aisle he hadn't seen before. Trying to get back to his previous spot, he walked a couple more minutes, and found himself in a different aisle. He tried again, but found that no matter what way he took, he was unable to figure out where he was.

He was lost. He, Sasori of the Red Sand, most talented puppet-master, the one who took out the Third Kazekage, was lost in a shop in some strange world.

"This can't be happening . . ." For the first time since arriving in this strange world, he had the sense that he was really in a _different_ world. Nothing was the same, the odd technology, the chakra-less inhabitants, the buildings, the food. He truly understood why Pein had decided to let those two girls live. In this world, they were helpless. _Sasori_ was helpless. He couldn't even find his way around a store! They needed Tenshi and Akuma, no matter how much they might dislike them or want to slit their throats.

Sasori sighed. Being helpless was not something he was used to, and being at the mercy of two young girls, one of which was quite likely to try and kill them while they slept, was profoundly irritating.

"Sasori!" He heard someone calling his name. Tenshi sprinted past, looked left, looked right, and kept running. He raised an eyebrow. She stopped abruptly, sliding and nearly falling down, then backtracking.

"Where you looking for me?" he said. Tenshi held up one finger, motioning for him to wait while she caught her breath. Sasori's eyebrow was still cocked up. Had she been trying so hard to find him? She was out of breath, sweat trickled down her forehead, and the cart was nowhere in sight. She had obviously panicked.

He couldn't help but think she was an idiot. What did she think was going to happen? He wasn't an idiot like Deidara was. He wouldn't make a scene. But she knew that. It was the whole reason she took him with her.

"Okay . . . I'm fine . . . I can breathe . . ." she panted, bent over with her hands on her knees. '_Liar_' Sasori thought with a smirk. "What are you smirking at, Red? Do you have any idea how worried I was? I ought to kill you myself!" She was now rather mad, but since her face had been tomato-red from the start, it didn't make much difference.

"Why were you so worried? I am perfectly able to take care of myself." he said '_Red?_" he silently asked himself.

"Yeah, right! You were lost, weren't you?" she said, straightening up.

"I was not."

"You were."

"I was not." He insisted, frowning.

"Whatever you say, Red." She shrugged. His frown deepened.

"Why are you calling me that?"

"I don't know. I felt like it. I can stop."

"Do what you wish."

"Fine. Let's get the cart."

"You remember where it is?"

"Of course. Cheese aisle. Don't worry; it takes an experienced shopper to find their way around this place. You'll learn."

* * *

><p>In the meantime, Akuma and Deidara were clothes shopping. She was quite happy, bouncing around like a little brown fur ball. She picked out jeans, shirts, underwear, socks, shoes, not bothering about the cost. To Deidara, it was so boring he felt he could scream. He stood, arms crossed, drumming his fingers to the beat of that song Tenshi had played, watching the little girl happily paying for the large pile with a small plastic rectangle and the woman behind the counter beaming at her with an obviously fake smile, then batting her eyelashes at him. Akuma divided the bags evenly between them.<p>

"Do you want to get something to eat?" she asked him.

"Sure, hm." All that standing around had made him quite hungry. Akuma got tree smoothie for a nearby food court, one raspberry-flavored, the second mango, and the third banana. They sat down at a table, and she dumped her huge bags on the floor. He reached for the raspberry, but she slapped his hand away.

"What the hell, hm?"

"That one's for Tenshi. You get banana."

"Why?"

"Because it's yellow like your hair!" she replied, happily slurping down her mango smoothie.

"That must be the dumbest reason ever, hm."

"Maybe so."

"I have a question. Why do you always listen to what that girl says? She's grumpy, mean, freakishly paranoid . . ." He continued with a list of choice insults. That girl annoyed him. Yet his thoughts had a habit of gravitating back to the blonde, to her constantly frowning face, to how soft her skin was and how she smelled a little like cinnamon . . . he shook his head. No, she annoyed him. Yes, that was it.

"Because she's really nice. She just doesn't like you." Akuma said bluntly with a happy look. Deidara almost face-palmed.

"Why not? I'm guessing it's not just because of what happened, hm?"

"You guessed right, actually. Do you remember how you guys are supposed to be fictional? And that movie you saw us watch when you were kittens?" He nodded. "Well, that red-haired guy you killed is her favorite character. She's sort of disliked you since the beginning, so you're out of luck! Oh, here they come!"

Tenshi and Sasori were hurrying over, laden down with more shopping bags. They put them down gently next to the clothes bags. Tenshi sat down wearily next to Akuma and grabbed her smoothie.

"Dear god that was hell." she moaned.

"You said it, hm." Deidara grumbled under his breath. Sasori stayed silent and Akuma was still working on her smoothie. She was intent on finishing it, despite the fact that it was huge.

She glanced at Tenshi. Her friend looked relatively relaxed, which would have been odd in this setting even if Sasori wasn't standing right behind her. Tenshi had not tolerated that level of proximity from anyone (except Akuma herself, of course) in years. '_Well,_' Akuma thought '_This is good_. _Maybe she'll finally open up a little.'_

But another thing caught her eye. Tenshi's mouth was twisting, very slightly, her eyes twitching to the upper left corner. She was thinking very hard about something, and Akuma though she knew what.

* * *

><p>I was thinking very hard. Mostly about the Akatsuki, and their appearance. Strangely enough, this was the first time I had given it some serious thought. I had had too much on my mind before.<p>

_How_ had they appeared? How much did they know? One thing was sure. The flow of a universe had been interrupted. Something like that didn't just happen out of the blue.

I shot a look at Akuma and she nodded, almost imperceptibly.

"Hey, Deidara, how old are you?" she asked. I mentally rejoiced. That was perfect!

"Eighteen, hm. Why?"

"You looked much younger than the rest of the Akatsuki." she said simply. She went on to make small talk, asking him about trivial things like his favorite food, his birthday, etc. Of course, she already knew all that. But Akuma was surprisingly good at fooling people.

Sixteen. So, one years before the start of Shippuden. Naruto is still training with Jiraiya, Sasuke is still with Orochimaru, and Akatsuki is preparing to move. A theory began to construct itself in my head, as I considered everything that I knew, every scrap of information available. I twisted them, turning them over, reassembling them, till an answer slowly came together.

Finally, it became clear to me what I had to do. But now was not the time. Once we got home, I would put my plan into action.

If I was right . . . if I was right . . . I knew it was far-fetched, but still, I had to do something. Trusting the Akatsuki like Akuma did was foolish to the point of absurdity. I could fully admit to being an idiot sometimes, but I was far from foolish. Well, if all else failed, I could turn them into cats and drown them like I had originally planned. They didn't seem to consider me a threat, so maybe I could catch them off guard . . .

I was snapped out of my thoughts by a gaze. I looked up. Sasori was staring at me. I wiped my face clean of all expression. He turned away.

I mentally cursed. Assuming they trusted me was idiotic. I should have known better. From now on, I would make no assumption that could get me into trouble. If they found out I was even considering killing them, they would slaughter me and Akuma in a heartbeat.

I suppose things came to worst, I would be playing a game of chicken with the Akatsuki. Who would try to kill the other first? I would prefer to avoid that situation at all costs, because against a team of professional killers, the odds of me winning were slim at best.

"Hey, Deidara, those girls are looking at you!" Akuma said. I was jerked away from my train of thought.

"So?"

She whispered something in his ear. He suddenly grinned.

The girls came over. There were three of them, the type of girls that wore too much makeup and provocative clothing. The middle one approached Deidara. She was actually quite pretty, a brunette, could have benefitted from less blush as her complexion was great, and her clothes, though provocative, were nicely coordinated.

She flirted, and he flirted right back. I examined them carefully. Usually I took notice of people like that, because I didn't like them. But I could have sworn I had never seen these girls in my life. That was odd because our school was small, and I definitely would have noticed them. Well, I suppose they could have come from another town.

I tried my best to ignore them, but the flirting was getting on my nerves. I didn't know why I was getting worked up, and that made me even more annoyed. I grabbed my smoothie and slurped some of it down, glaring, restless.

The girl asked for his number.

"Sorry, I have a girlfriend." The girl looked taken aback, and puzzled. She glared at me and Akuma.

"One of those?" I did not care for her tone. I sucked some more of my drink.

"Yeah, hm. The blonde."

I spit out my smoothie.

"_What?"_ I jumped out of my chair gaping like a fish.

"We've been dating for a while so, sorry, hm." Deidara came to stand next to me, putting his arm around my waist, a gesture that only looked like he was touching, from her perspective. She glared acidly at me, probably about as outraged as I was, turned on her heels and stalked off.

Akuma was laughing her ass off.

"Your face! Your face was priceless! Oh my god, that was _so_ worth it!" she nearly fell off her chair.

"You . . . oh, whatever I don't care about you, but YOU!" I jumped away from him, pointing a finger in his laughing face. "How dare you? What the hell was that?"

"I told you I'd get you for that trick in the car! Guess you're my girlfriend now, hm!"

"I am not, you idiotic prick!"

He grinned at me, with that odd look in his eye. Sort of smoldering, an intense look, almost like he was trying to see right through me. I had no idea what it was, but it made me madder. How dare that sonofabitch . . .

"Stop looking at me like that!"

"Like what, hm?"

"Like that! You did that before! Just stop it! Stop it, stop it!" I stamped my foot. He grinned more and his hand reached out, as if to touch me, the tongue snaking out and sort of flopping at me.

That was it. I splashed what was left of my smoothie in his face.

For what it was worth, the look stopped, which was all I wanted.

"Bite me, blondie!" I yelled and stomped off.

* * *

><p>Okay, first of all, my little contest is still open. So review!<p>

daydreamer1008: Thanks! I'm glad that you like it, and I'll try my hardest. Sorry, you didn't guess right. Try again!

Fantasy is now Non-fiction: Sorry, try again! But really, thanks for reading.

WhiteTiger BlackWolf: Hopefully I'll get myself to update more frequently, so keep reading!

Deidara's Dragon: Your guess is actually very close. Not quite it, but still, you get points for that.

That's it for today! I'm guessing responding to four reviews each chapter is perfectly doable.

Review! Keep guessing for my little contest!

Peace out.


	11. Meeting

Hey! I updated quickly this time! It's a frigging miracle! No, really. I'm the world's worst procrastinator.

Thank you for reviewing! For reading! Whatever! Ha-ha!

I'm way too happy about this, aren't I?

Anyhow, enjoy!

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><p>While Tenshi, Akuma, Deidara, and Sasori were gone, Pein gathered the rest of his organization into the largest room; the one Konan was assigned to. He had to drag Hidan and Kisame off the TV, call back Zetsu from his exploration mission, make Itachi put down his book, interrupt Kakuzu in his search for more cash (he'd ransacked, in order, the attic, the two unoccupied bedrooms, the office, and was about to search Tenshi's room before being stopped), all of that while dodging the new girl with outrageously garish clothes that insisted on dogging his every step. He finally sent her a withering glare that made her scamper off.<p>

Hidan lounged back on the bed, wearing, as was his custom, no shirt. Kisame and Itachi stood together against the wall, Kakuzu against the opposite one. Zetsu appeared, working his way out of the carpeted floor. Finally, they would be able to speak, and assess their position. It was unfortunate that Deidara and Sasori were absent, but it couldn't be helped.

"So, are we starting this meeting or what?" said Hidan.

"Hold your tongue!" shot Kakuzu, glaring.

"We seem to have landed in a different world where we are . . . fictional," the word was spoken with a hiss. "Judging from what we saw when we were . . . cats," another hiss. "We can establish that those girls are not lying. Zetsu, what have you found out about this world?"

"It is quite amazing. **Are you joking? It stinks! All that smog and trash**. It isn't so bad, once you get used to it. There is an incredible amount of foreign technology that is much more advanced than what we possess. Their ways of dressing, and the way their society is constructed, are very different than ours. **You're forgetting that the inhabitants have no chakra**. Oh, sorry."

"It seems that this world would be quite interesting." said Kisame with a snicker.

"Fuck that! How come I'm not allowed to sacrifice anybody? Jashin is getting impatient with me!"

"The girl said you mustn't and we must obey her rules." said Itachi in a clear yet low tone. They all stopped to consider the truth of that statement.

"Uchiha is right." said Kakuzu. "It is hard to imagine how we would get by without them. But I don't trust them, especially the blonde brat. She tried to kill us and doesn't seem very stable."

"I think you're overreacting. She seems to have gotten over her first shock, especially with Akuma around." said Kisame.

"'Akuma?' So you're on first name terms now?" mocked Hidan.

"Yes. Akuma has been quite . . . happy to have us around, for whatever reason. She's been accommodating, and has saved our lives. We were helpless as cats; Tenshi could easily have killed us."

"This raises a question. How much do they know?" asked Itachi, and once more they all pondered the question, or pretended to, in some cases.

"We have to find out. They could hold valuable information. Kakuzu. You searched the house. What did you find?"

"A little cash, not much. No clues, though. The 'laptop' the blonde mentioned could be useful, but I do not know how to use it, and I haven't searched her room yet. There might be something there." Pein nodded.

Of course, they had been forbidden to touch both the laptop and Tenshi's room. But, they saw no need to listen to the rules when the girl herself was out.

"Itachi, see if you take a look at the laptop before they come home, and Kakuzu, search her room. Kisame, Hidan, keep acting normal and do not harm them, especially you, Hidan. If she decides to . . . punish you, I will not intervene." He raised his voice. "That goes for all of you. Pass this along to Sasori and Deidara. Tenshi's word is as good as mine; you will obey her instructions as if they were my own. Do not antagonize her. Do not step out of bounds. I hardly need to explain myself, do I?"

"Why don't you, Leader?" said Itachi. "I believe we've all noticed it."

"Yes. The girl is obviously not very stable. Worst, I cannot read her; I cannot tell what she is thinking or what she will do. If she should decide to get rid of us, there is a chance she would succeed."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me! We're the Akatsuki for Jashin's sake! We don't take shit from anybody!" Hidan yelled.

"Hidan. Have you once been able to predict what she would do?" growled Kakuzu. "The girl is completely unreadable. In any other situation, we would slice her throat and be done with it. But we must depend on her, depend on a girl who might kill us and that we cannot read. Right now, she is the greatest threat that we face."

"But once we find a way back, I can sacrifice her, right? And that annoying little ball of fur, too?"

"I don't know, I kind of like Akuma." said Kisame, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Fine, then, just the blonde! She's so fucking annoying, I feel like I want to slice her up every time I see her!"

"That wouldn't be because she threw you in the closet?" Kisame said in a mocking tone.

"Fuck you!"

"Once we are sure we do not need her anymore, you may do with her as you wish." said Pein.

"There is another thing I've noticed." said Itachi. "Have you seen the scars?"

The door opened violently, startling them. An angry voice floated from downstairs.

Tenshi was back.

"We will discuss this on another occasion. Remember what we have said. Zetsu, stay around for a while, see if the house has any hidden rooms or anything of the sort, then go back to exploring this world."

"**Fine**_._ We're on it."

They all left the room and went downstairs. Hidan couldn't help himself from bursting into laughter.

"Oy, Deidara-_chan_? What the hell happened to _you_?"

The bomber glared at him. His bright yellow hair was covered with some sticky purple substance that had dripped down his neck and shirt, coagulating into a gluey mess that smelled vaguely sweet.

"Shut up! I'll blow you up with my art, hm!"

"Try it, Deidara-_chan_! You don't have your clay!"

Deidara growled low, hands twitching towards her waist where his clay pouch would have been, the tongue flicking out and licking the empty air. Gnashing his teeth together, he backed down. He needed his clay, but had no idea where to get some.

"I'm taking a shower." he declared, stomping upstairs, Hidan's raucous laughter chasing after him.

"What happened?" Itachi asked in a neutral tone. Tenshi ignored him and hauled groceries over the kitchen, helped by Akuma who giggled slightly to herself from time to time, drawing murderous looks from the former. Itachi wordlessly turned to Sasori.

"Deidara made a rather crude joke at Tenshi's expense. She did not appreciate it." he said, before leaving to bring in some more bags.

"So we're not gonna find out what happened?" said Kisame, a little disappointed.

"Hey," snorted Hidan, "Why gives a fuck? Brat probably had it coming." he said as he headed to the living room to turn the entrancing TV back on.

"Which one?" asked Kisame.

"Both!" called Hidan. Kisame shrugged.

Sasori came back carrying several bags full of clothes.

"Care to explain further?"

Sasori ignored him. He asked Tenshi were she wanted them put and she replied with a 'wherever' upon which he dumped the bags in the living room.

Itachi, satisfied with the explanation previously given, returned to reading his book, glancing briefly at Tenshi through the kitchen doors. She was vaguely angry, but whatever else she was thinking was a mystery. As if the anger she displayed most often was nothing but a mask, hiding her true intention from anyone who would dare to pry further. She was most definitely a threat.

But he could see the scars.

* * *

><p>Okay, now my little contest. I realized that it may be too difficult to guess, so I'm going to drop hints: Akuma names her friends after certain characteristics they posses. Meaning, Yuri's name does not come from any anime. Those who guessed the yuriyaoi connection are nearly there.

**Nightwish-girl77**: Yuri does mean lily, but your second guess was more accurate. You've nearly got it! It's definitely along those lines. Someone else guessed the same thing, and really, that's close. Anyway, thanks for reading!

_**Fantasy is now Non-Fiction**:_ Thank you! Yeah, she probably should have thrown it sooner. I know I would have, too. Sorry, but as I said, Yuri is not from an anime. Well, thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Eternal Cat Moon:** Thanks! And as you can see, I have updated soon!(Yeah, I'm still proud about that) Also, this may be a little late, but about your review of chap 8: Linkin Park is my favorite band!

Okay, that's it for today, because it is nearly 11 at night in my timezone, and I have to sleep! Damn school.

Last note: contest is ending next chapter. Last chance!

Peace out, and goodnight.


	12. A Complicated Theory

Hey, yeah, this chapter has a pretty long explanation in it, and I'm not sure everything makes sense, but I did my best. It's my attempt to justify the Akatsuki's presence in our world, and it sounded good in my head, but I'm not sure anybody who reads it would be able to follow my train of thought. Oh, well, it's not really necessary to understand, so don't worry of you don't. I wanted to get this chapter up tonight, and may have rushed it a little.

On a different note, I went to a manga convention today! It's called Paris Manga, and it was awesome. I bought Naruto posters, and a cool Deidara headband. I also saw karaoke and lots of cosplay!

Anyway, enjoy this chapter, and review!

* * *

><p>I hate that guy. I hate him, I hate him, I fucking hate him!<p>

That was all that was running through my mind when we loaded up the car and drove home, the guy in question dripping melted smoothie on my clean car seats. Do you have any idea how much that would cost to clean? Damn it. It was all his fault! I swear, one day . . .

But enough about that, I had something to do, and it couldn't wait. I continued stuffing frozen pizzas in the freezer (cringing at the nonexistent food value) and waited for it.

"Tenshi! You forgot the ice cream!" cried Akuma, frantically ruffling through the bags. I grinned. To be honest, with what happen with Sasori, I _had_ forgotten. But this was the opportunity to spin a mistake into a chance to put my plan into action. I carefully wiped my face clean of any expression.

"Oh, really? That's too bad." I continued putting the food away. Akuma paced around frantically.

"We have to go back! I can't live without ice cream, you know that! How could you forget? That's not like you!"

Sasori passed by the doorway, and our eyes met for a second. I thought I saw a slight flash of shame on his face, but it was gone just as soon. I think he was actually embarrassed about getting lost. Good. I had some blackmail material.

"Tenshiiiiiiiiiiiii!" whined Akuma. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease!" I pretended to consider it.

"Oh, fine! Let's make this quick!" I made a rather good show of grumbling and looking annoyed as Akuma grabbed my arm, saying 'Thank you, thank you," over and over.

"Before we go, where's Yuri?" I wondered aloud. I hadn't seen her.

"Come to think of it, I don't know. Hey, Yuri?" she called. A faint, muffle screech came from the closet. We went to check.

I opened the doors. In the closet, Yuri was curled up in a ball, looking like she'd seen a ghost.

"Sheesh, what happened to you?" I asked, one eyebrow cocked. Akuma bent down and Yuri whispered something in her ear.

"Pein scared her."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. Just leave her there." Akuma gave me a look. "What? She'll be fine in there. Let's go before it gets dark."

I closed the closet door carefully.

"Oy! Guys! Akuma and me are going back to the store. Need anything?"

No answer. Okay . . .

"We're going now!" Still no answer. "Damn criminals. Can't even get a 'see ya' out of them, can we."

"See ya, hm." Deidara came down, having finished his shower. He grinned cockily at me, wet blonde hair dripping down his bare shoulders and chest . . .

"Hey, wait a minute! Can't you put on a damn shirt?" I turned away.

"Are you actually blushing, hm?"

"I'm not! Let's go, Akuma." I grabbed her hand and dragged her to the car. It was getting cold outside so we hurried inside the car.

I drove silently as the sun fell behind the horizon and the street lights turned on, bathing the streets in a cold yellow radiance. The inside of the car was dark, cold. Buildings, old and knew, passed us by.

"We're not going to the store, are we?" Akuma said quietly, cutting ever so slightly through the silence.

"There's a small grocery store along the way. We can stop on our way back." I made a right turn and stopped at a red light.

"Why don't you tell me what you've figured out? I know you, Tenshi," she sighed. "You're very smart, your grades are only average because you don't care about them. I know you've already formed a theory about how and why the Akatsuki are here. So why don't you let me hear it? It could explain why we're going to my house."

"Fine. I've been thinking . . . the Akatsuki are here, they exist, obviously. So, there must be another dimension, another world, a Naruto world, if you will. That fact is undeniable. So, I've been thinking, what if separate realities, not just worlds, existed?"

"I don't follow you."

"Think about a dice. It has an equal chance of landing on any of the six numbers, right? There's this theory that every time an event with several possible outcomes takes place, the realities branch off into as many new realities as existing possibilities. Like, in one reality, the dice would have landed on one and, in another, on six."

"I'm with you so far. But how does this relate to this?" She made a broad gesture, encompassing the entire situation.

"What if the world containing the events of the manga is only one reality of the Naruto world? What if there are others? You see, I think Tobi is responsible for sending the Akatsuki here."

"What . . ."

"Please don't interrupt. We know the Sharingan can access different dimensions, we saw that when Tobi fights, you know, the way he makes it seem as if we can pass right through him? Dimensional control. So, it's entirely feasible that he sent the Akatsuki here. Why, you might ask? I think that Tobi managed to create a jutsu that would allow a temporary glimpse into the future. It's not totally out of the blue, seeing all the crazy shit that guy can pull. Anyway, if that's what happened, he most probably saw a reality he didn't like, the one described in the manga, where his plans start falling to pieces."

"But why that particular one? Tenshi, this is really complicated!"

"It's about to get worse. I came up with a certain theory, unrelated to the present situation, a while ago. What of each world described in manga, anime, books, take your pick, are real? What if the authors are 'seeing' the other world and writing, or drawing it, down? What if those authors had a sort of 'connection' with those worlds? Obviously, there was no way to prove that theory. Simply mentioning it would have gotten me thrown in the loony bin. But, they _are_ here, unless we're both hallucinating, and I don't think it's a coincidence. I mean, they just happen to land in a world in which theirs is described in a manga? Our world has a connection with theirs, there's no doubt about it, which means my theory is most likely true."

"What's the connection with the different realities you were talking about?"

"Well, I think that the author of Naruto is describing the most prominent path that world could take. Going back to my dice metaphor, there's a higher chance of scoring a number between one and five, that just math. Specifically, the probability would be five out of six versus one out of six."

"Okay, I'm lost."

"Don't bother with the details. Tobi himself probably didn't know about the different realities: in some he fails, and in others, he wins. But there's a higher probability that he fails, meaning there are more potential worlds in which his plans crash and burn."

'Okay, okay, I think I got it. So Tobi created a jutsu allowing him to briefly glimpse the future. Since there are more futures in which he loses, he saw himself loosing, didn't like it, and decided to . . . What's the rest?"

"With his Sharingan he probably sent his organization to another dimension with a connection to theirs, so they could obtain information that could help them. Though I highly doubt he knew his world was fictional in ours."

"I see."

"There's more evidence to prove my theory. For example, the Akatsuki currently crashing at my house and eating my food is not the Akatsuki we see in the manga, because those are dead. They are the Akatsuki of the past, of you will."

"But of the author already wrote it down, hasn't it already happened?"

"Yes and no. My personal theory is that there is no such thing as time. Everything happens at one, yet separately. So the story in the manga happens, but not really. Don't bother trying to understand it. Just know that each world has its own timeline."

"Alright, I think I understand what you're saying. Dear god, Tenshi, how long did you spend thinking about all this? My head's going to explode!"

"Not too long, actually. But that's a moot point. My theory explains why Tobi isn't here. He's probably counting on Itachi being able to figure out how to get them back, after Pein gathered all the information he could. If that happens, Tobi will be able to cruise along to victory."

"Your theory doesn't explain why they landed in your backyard specifically, does it?"

"As a matter of fact, it does. The general location was probably completely random, but once in a general area, the jutsu most likely oriented them to the person with the strongest connection, in other words knowledge, to their world. We live in the middle of nowhere, and we're the only Naruto fans around. Also, I was watching Naruto when they showed up, so I had a 'connection', which led them to me."

"But it doesn't fit! Why would Tobi risk his whole plan just to gain info?"

"Simple. He gambled. He most likely thought that if he didn't do this, he would fail, and if something goes wrong, he can still put off his plan, and remake the Akatsuki. He weighed the risks versus the benefits, and placed his bet."

"But why didn't he tell them about his plan?"

"And reveal his identity?"

"Even to Pein and Itachi?"

"Who would agree to something like this?"

"Alright, you win! I just have one last question. Why do they turn into kittens?"

"I suspect Tobi has a sense of humor. Additionally, it would make whoever found them, a person with desirable info, more likely to keep them, not scream and swing a bat at them and get killed. If my whole theory is true, then we fell for it like a ton of bricks."

"Wait, you're not sure?"

"Of course not! There's no way to be absolutely sure, but this is the best theory I can come up with. It certainly would explain a lot of things. At any rate, I'm not taking any chances. I'm acting on the probability that this is all part of Tobi's plan to take over the world."

"Which means?"

I didn't reply. I turned into Akuma's long driveway and parked next to the iron gate. Her house was huge, more a villa than anything else. It was currently too dark to make out much, though.

We got out of the car. The air was very chilly and I shivered, wishing I had taken a jacket.

"Let's go. To you room, first." She punched the code into the gate and a small side door swung open. It took us five minutes to walk from the opening to the house itself, and I was freezing all the while.

Akuma's room was huge, at least twice as big as mine, with large french windows opening on the garden, much like my living room. Also, every inch of it was covered with Akatsuki merchandise. I picked up a Pein bobble head.

"This wasn't here last time. Anyway, let's get to work."

"What are you planning?"

"We're going to play dumb." I rubbed my hands together. "They saw half to first season, right? So we're going to pretend that that's as far as the series went. Meaning, they can't know anything that happens after that." She stared at like I was crazy.

"_How_ are you planning on doing that?"

"Simple. As I said, play dumb. When they ask, and you _know_ they will, we'll say 'sorry, that's all we know.'"

"But . . ."

"So, we know that Itachi killed his clan, but not the real reason. We know Deidara and Sasori bring back Gaara, but we don't know the outcome of that particular battle especially that Sasori dies and Deidara got his arms ripped off. We don't know that Hidan and Kakuzu die, we barely know about Pein, the 'shadowy leader,' and about his and Konan's childhood. See what I mean?"

"That's impossible! They'll come here eventually, and see the manga . . ." Her look turned into one of horror. "No!"

"Oh, yes." I grinned nastily. "How does a little bonfire sound?"

Ten minutes later, I had a neat pile of stuff to burn: the manga volumes we didn't want them to read, a lot of her posters, some plushies . . . basically anything that could be considered incriminating, and in another pile the DVDs. I would be taking care of those in a different way.

Akuma looked positively miserable. She carried a pile of manga to the chimney with trembling hands, tears in her eyes, looking at me like I'd kicked a puppy.

"Why do _I_ have to make sacrifices?" she whined.

"For the good of all, Akuma. You can always buy more."

"What about your computer? They'll figure out how to use it eventually."

"I'm way ahead of you." We dumped the burnable stuff into the chimney. "I've already made changes to it. We don't want them to think that we're on to them, so I've made it so that if an incorrect password is entered, the Internet will be disabled. I doubt they have the technological knowledge to deal with rebooting a livebox." I snickered.

"Maniac. I don't even want to know where you learned to do _that_. How do you plan on destroying the DVDs?" she grumbled.

"Go get me a solid bag and a hammer." Her eyes went very wide, and she darted off quickly.

I struck a match, admiring the small, flickering yellow flame for a while, before throwing it down. The fire spread, turning the pile of evidence into ashes. Now there was no way they would know. The Naruto world would be safe, or at least I could hope that it would be.

Akuma came back with the items I'd asked for. Wordlessly I dumped the DVDs in the bag and tied it up nice and tight. I then took it outside, laid it on the ground, and swung the hammer as hard as I could, again and again, putting all my anger, fear, and frustration in my blows, shattering the DVDs to pieces. Breathing hard, I picked up the bag, brought it back inside, and threw in in the trash. It was over. _'We should be safe now,_' I thought. '_They won't know . . . as long as we keep up the pretense.'_

Once that was over, Akuma and I drove back in silence. We stopped at a small store and bought ice cream: cookie dough, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.

* * *

><p>Sorry, I'm too tired to respond to reviews today. So, people who reviewed, you get cookies. Thanks a lot. -Yawn-<p>

As for my contest, I was going to give the answer in this chapter, but I couldn't fit it in. So, if anybody has a guess, go right ahead, but I think I may have made it too hard. Sorry.

I know I haven't done much comedy recently. I'll do my best to make the next chapter funny.

Peace out and _bonne nuit._


	13. What a Boring Day

Hello! Bonjour! I'm back! I'm alive! Yeah, I just had a rather stressful exam a couple of days ago that I was studying for, so sorry! But I'm on vacation now, so I will do my best to update quicker.

To all those who review: Thank you! Words cannot express my gratitude. So, I tip my hat to you.

Reviews really make me more motivated. So review! And by the way, someone actually guessed right in my little contest. I was starting to think _no one_ would get it.

* * *

><p>"I'm bored."<p>

"Shut up."

"I said, I'm fucking bored!"

"Hidan, if you do not shut up . . ."

"Oh, come on, Kakuzu! You've been counting the same wad of cash over and over again; you can't say you aren't mind-fuckingly bored right now!" Hidan stretched and yawned on the couch. He was so bored! There was nothing to do but watch that stupid TV. He couldn't go out, he couldn't kill anybody, he was sure Jashin was beyond pissed at him by know, and that girl was driving him nuts! He was sure she would make a wonderful sacrifice to Jashin. How good it would feel to torture her, to shut that annoying mouth of hers, to revel in their shared pain as she slipped away, her soul delivered into the hands of Jashin . . .

But he couldn't. The damn leader had said no. He wanted to kill her, dammit! And he wanted his scythe back!

"Hidan, stop fidgeting. You're distracting."

"Like you don't know exactly how much money you've got anyway. If there was only some alcohol around here, that'd make it better."

"I believe I saw a liquor cabinet in the dining room."

"Why didn't you say so?" Hidan rushed to the dining room. "Aw, man, it's locked! I guess I'll just . . ."

"You are not bashing it in." said Kakuzu. "Tenshi will be mad."

"Who the fuck _cares_?"

"Don't you remember what Pein said? Her word is as good as his. Now sit down and _shut up_."

* * *

><p>I woke up around one in the afternoon, and yawned. The sky outside was dull gray, promising rain, but that was nothing new in the Pacific Northwest.<p>

As I got dressed, I noticed my shinai standing in the corner of the room. It was starting to gather dust again, since the only time I had used it recently was when Deidara had poofed into existence and scared me half to death. Suddenly, I felt that practicing a bit would be a good idea. It might allow me to release some tension caused by a handful of guys, a couple of which I wanted desperately to beat into a pulp.

So I opened my closet and pulled out my kendo outfit: a hakama and keiko-gi. If you need to know what that is, picture a miko's outfit, only with narrower sleeves and in an indigo color. I then took a short shower before getting dressed. I fumbled with the long straps of the hakama, cursing. I'd been a long time since I'd done this, and had forgotten how much of a pain it was to tie these things correctly.

I then grabbed my shinai and went downstairs.

In the living room, Hidan and Kakuzu were hanging out, the TV on in the background (a . . . soap opera?). Outside, Itachi and Kisame were sparring as quietly as they could, practicing mostly taijutsu. I considered something for a moment, then went back upstairs to fetch my second shinai and my bokuto.

"Kisame, catch." I threw them at him. He caught them, of course, and looked questioningly at me.

"Use whichever one you want."

I turned away and went to a spot in the middle of my (now ravaged) garden. I warmed up quickly and got to work. I practiced my swings, over and over again, paying attention to every detail, my posture, my stance, my feet, my hands on the handle of my shinai. I would like to point out now that it's not as easy as it looks in manga. In fact, they often do it wrong. You have to concentrate on so many things, and it's even harder when it's against an opponent, in which case you have to watch your guard, the position of your shinai (neither too low or too high), and make sure to strike with the right part of the sword.

Point being, I soon worked up a sweat.

"Not bad."

I stopped in the middle of a swing. Kisame stood by, observing.

"Not bad, but you're too tense."

I nodded and took a deep breath, unwinding as much as I was able. He was right; my right hand was griping the handle too tightly, and my joints were stiff. I swung again. He nodded.

"Better. But you still need work."

"Of course. I haven't practiced in months."

"Do you want to spar? As thanks for this?" He held up the shinai I gave him.

"Sure, if you'll go easy on me." He looked surprised.

"You are a lot more easy going than before."

"I know. I have temper issues that Kendo helps me with, if I take the time to train."

"Kendo?"

"That's right, you wouldn't know. It's derived from kenjutsu, but there are more rules and stuff, and it's done exclusively with shinai and armor for protection, so you can deliver 'lethal' blows without injuring your opponent."

"What for? If you can't fight for your life with a real blade, what's the point?"

"First, it's illegal here to fight with real blades. Second, there's no need to be fight for your life here. We have police for that."

He frowned, thinking about what I'd said.

"This world is quite strange, isn't it?"

I shrugged. "It's the way it goes. I don't bother trying to question it. So, are we doing this or not?"

"Sure." He grinned, exposing his rows of sharp teeth, and took his stance. I followed suit.

With a yell, I swung. He parried it easily, and the fight was on.

He was going easy on me, I knew that. I'd left myself open so many times the match would be over by now, and if this was a real fight, I'd be dead. He grinned like a shark as I tried to hit him. Of course, I was at a disadvantage. In kendo, there are only a certain number of strikes allowed, while he was used to cutting anywhere he could.

I forced myself to concentrate fully. I forgot that I was facing a very large, very blue shark-man. I forgot about the Akatsuki invading my house, and about everything that had happened. There was only the fight left.

I was getting tired, while he kept up easily, with scarcely any effort. Finally, he struck.

Pain erupted on my side and I fell to the ground. I panted, trying not to cry out, but that hurt. Stupid me for not wearing my armor. Man, that was dumb.

"Hey, kid, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine . . ."

"We should leave it at that. You are too tired to go on."

"Yeah, you're probably right . . . I just hope you didn't break any of my ribs . . ."

Overhead, thunder rumbled. We glanced up at the same time. A drop fell on my nose and trickled down.

"Maybe we'd better get inside . . ." he said. Too late. Rain fell in a great, pounding sheet of water. In roughly too seconds we were drenched to the skin. There was a puff of smoke, and a large blue kitten sat in a pile of wet clothes

Damn Pacific Northwest weather.

I gathered up the clothes and the swords, and ran to the french windows, that some idiot had closed, and I pounded on them.

"Oy! Let us in!" I yelled over the rain. Hidan, looked at us, smirked, gave us the finger, and turned the sound of the TV up.

"That motherfucking son of a . . ." I growled. Kisame looked extremely pissed as well. He was snarling and hissing like a miniature shark. I think he wanted to punch the window in and throttle Hidan. Or perhaps cut his arms and legs off, but he would Samehada for that. Or at least a very sharp knife.

I tried the other windows, but they were locked as well.

After about two minutes of that, Deidara came down, and I face palmed. He took one look at the situation, burst into laughter, and sat in my chair, crossing his legs cockily, held up both palms and stuck three tongues at me.

I was _so_ castrating the both of them.

Next, Sasori arrived, took a look at the smirking Hidan, laughing Deidara, me pounding on the window looking like a wet rag, screeching obscenities like a banshee, rolled his eyes and left. Fine, I'd castrate him to . . . oh, wait, no. Shit.

Kakuzu was there as well, but he took one look and went back to counting his pile of progressively more worn money, ignoring me deliberately.

I glanced down at the soaked Kisame. He looked as dangerous as his miniature size would allow, scratching at the window. I backed up and yelled.

"Akuma! Let us in, dammit!" It was useless. She wouldn't be able to hear me over the wind and rain. None of them would.

"That is it!" I yelled. I was growing wetter and more chilled by the minute, and if this kept up, I would be catching a cold. I grabbed my bokuto and took my stance.

The two idiots looked a little frightened. I held up three fingers.

They got up. I lowered one.

They started to run. I lowered the second.

They fought to be the first to pass through the narrow door. I lowered the third.

CRASH!

I stepped through the broken window, shards of glass crunching under my feet, bokuto gripped so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

"Hidan . . . Deidara . . ." I seethed, dripping water on the clean floor. "COME BACK HERE!"

* * *

><p>"This is boring, hm."<p>

"Deidara. Shut up." I hissed. He shut up, and I went back to reading my manga. Death Note. I liked to imagine the people dying were a blonde-haired she-man and a silver haired jerk.

Pein had intervened and kept me from beating the ever-loving daylights out of them. Now that I was calm (okay, relatively calm) I saw that it was actually a good thing. No doubt they would have killed me. I really needed to start carrying around a bottle of water.

I'd invented a rather useful trick to turn the Akatsuki back, by the way. All I had to do was fill a shallow basin with hot water, leave the cat in question with a pile of clothes, and bam, no embarrassing situations.

But now we had a rather different problem. As in, all of them were growing more bored, and I was afraid they might start trashing my house. Apparently, Akuma had promised to take them to the park to get some fresh air (no, I was not aware. I would never have allowed it), but in this weather, there was simply no way that was happening. So, they were complaining.

"Hey Akuma, I just thought of something."

"Hm?" She was sitting currently upside down, with her legs over the back of the couch, head hanging down, long brown hair pooling on the floor.

"What happened to Yuri?"

"Oh, she went home."

"Is she alright? I mean, with the way Pein scared her . . ."

"She'll be fine. Itachi used his Sharingan on her."

"I meant to ask, but where did her nickname come from?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No, that's why I'm asking."

"She's a lesbian."

"A what . . . oh, right, Yuri, like the pairings, very clever." I said sarcastically. "Couldn't you think of anything better?"

"I think it suits her. It can also mean lily, so it's a pretty name."

"Whatever."

She kicked her legs in the air, bored. I turned the page.

"Hey, Tenshi, can we play a game?" asked Akuma.

"No."

"Pleeeeeease?" she begged.

"Oh, alright. Just don't bug me." She grinned, and placed her hands on the floor, flipping her legs over in a sort of handstand, finishing upright. Did I mention that Akuma does gymnastics?

"What are you talking about? You're playing!"

"I am?" She grabbed my wrist and hauled me out of my chair. Okay, apparently I was.

She took a deep breath. I raised an eyebrow.

"GUYS! COME HERE A SECOND!"

I clapped my hands over my ears and glared. She grinned happily as the entire Akatsuki gathered in my living room, some looking mildly annoyed, some bored, others pissed . . .

"We're going to play a game to relieve our boredom! Attendance is compulsory! Except for Pein and Konan, of course."

"While I appreciate the offer, Konan and I have some work to do." he said.

"Actually . . . If you don't mind, I would like to join them." said Konan. Pein blinked.

"As you wish. I will pursue our work with Zetsu."

"Oh, wait, two seconds!" I held my hand up. "I need to talk to him real quick."

As soon as I'd said those words, a large Venus flytrap worked its way out of the floor, and opened to reveal the Oreo colored plant-man. I jumped slightly. Damn, he was a lot scarier in real life. As we the rest of them, come to think of it, except Deidara, who was simply more annoying.

"You called? **What do you want**?"

"Hum . . . Just a question, but what am I supposed to make you to eat?" He made me very nervous.

"That's not a problem. In our exploration of this **world we found a place that has plenty of bodies for us to eat**." I thought for a second. What place would have plenty of bodies just . . . sitting there? The cemetery? Or maybe . . .

"Do you mean . . . the morgue?" Akuma guessed before me.

"**Yes.** You're correct."

She went pale. Her legs gave and I had to catch her.

"Is she alright? **Who cares?**"

"Oh, yeah, it's just that her parents own the hospital. Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it? You can't just eat people like that! That's desecration!" she protested.

"So? They're dead, what do they care?"

"Tenshi, you can't just . . . just . . . have you no respect for human life?" I looked at her, an eyebrow raised. She paused. "Right . . . what was I thinking, of course you don't . . ."

"I guess it's fine, then. Zetsu, try to eat as few corpses as possible. Not that you'll get caught, but this is a small town. Corpses are in limited supply around here, so you might have to start robbing graves, and I doubt that it'll taste very good." I said matter-of-factly. Akuma made strangled noises.

He nodded and disappeared back into the ground. That trick of his was highly unnerving.

At any rate, Pein left, probably for the best, because I knew what kind of games Akuma liked playing. I'd made the mistake of going to one of her parties, a couple of months ago. Let's just say she takes a malicious pleasure in embarrassing her guests, and I was no exception.

The Akatsuki took seats on the couch and floor, while I retreated to my chair and picked up my manga.

"So, what should we play?" she asked perkily. They all avoided her gaze. Her smile became oddly fixed. "Why don't we play . . . '

"I'm in for anything as long as it involves alcohol." said Hidan. "I haven't had a drink in days!" There were nods of assent.

"Oh no you don't! Some of us can't drink." I protested.

"Who, exactly?"

"Akuma, Deidara, and me."

"Why am I included, hm?"

"Drinking is illegal for anybody under twenty-one."

"So? I can drink, hm!"

"Not in my house, you can't. That's the law, deal with it."

"It's idiotic! I'm an S-ranked criminal, I don't need to respect you shitty laws, hm!"

"That's not something you should be bragging about." I murmured.

"Oy! Can the rest of us fucking drink, or what?"

"What makes you think I even _have_ alcohol?"

"There is a liquor cabinet." said Kakuzu.

"Damn, busted." I whispered.

"I think we should do it." said Akuma. I stared at her.

"That's illegal! Illegal, I say! We'll get . . . well, not arrested, but you know, the law . . ."

"You may not want to, but I do! It'll make it funnier!" She came over and whispered in my ear. "Also, I want to see how they act when they're drunk. Won't it be fun when they have hangovers tomorrow morning?"

"You have a weird sense of fun." I whispered back.

"Still! Please, Tenshi!" She looked at me with her best puppy eyes. Then her look turned slightly mischievous. "You're no stranger to breaking the law, so why are you making such a fuss? It'll be fine! I'll replace any alcohol we drink so your parents don't find out." The pleading look was back, as she stared me down with big green, puppy-dog eyes. Ah, man, I'm such a sucker, aren't I?

"Fine!" I said out loud. "Just don't break anything! The rules still apply!"

"Yay! Thank you sooo much!" She skipped over to the liquor cabinet. Somehow, I was sure I was going to regret it.

She unlocked it swiftly and brought several bottles of liquor over.

"Hell yeah! That's the stuff!" said Hidan

"So, what are we playing?" she asked. "Any ideas, Tenshi?"

"I'm not playing. I think I mentioned this previously." I returned to my manga.

"What are you, scared?" said Deidara, smirking. My head snapped up.

"What?" I hissed.

"Can't handle drinking with us guys?"

"And girls." said Akuma, putting her arm around Konan's shoulders. The latter smiled slightly.

"That's not it." I frowned.

"Oh, I know, you can't hold your liquor, hm."

I knew he was taunting me. I knew it. He made a game out of getting under my skin; he had been doing it since his gang had first arrived. I shouldn't have let it bother me, but it did. He was so goddamn irritating, I wanted to bash his head in with a baseball bat. But at the same time . . .

No. He irritated me, and that was the end of that.

I caved and came over to their jolly little circle of friends, and sat down next to the smirking blonde in question.

"So what are we playing?"

"How about truth or dare? That's a classic, but it doesn't involve drinking." said Akuma. I glanced at the clock. Five in the afternoon.

"That's probably better." I sighed, resigned.

"Why the fuck not?" Hidan asked.

"Because, dumbass, I said so." I was growing more irritated by the second. If this was anime, there would be one of those big fat anger marks pulsing away on my forehead.

"What are the rules?" asked Itachi. I was pretty sure he desperately did not want to be here. I actually felt sorry for him right now.

"Simple. Pick someone, who decides to answer a truth or do a dare." I said shortly. He nodded, his expression unreadable.

The rest of the Akatsuki exhibited a distinct lack of enthusiasm. Akuma, on the other hand, looked completely unaware of how the rest of us were feeling. Can you say 'out of touch?' Geez . . .

"Okay, who wants to start?" We all looked away from her oddly shiny eyes and creepily fixed smile. She looked like one of those clowns, only weirder. Did I mention clowns creep her out? She should really look in a mirror every once in a while.

Anyhow, we all looked down, and I can guess what was going through everyone's heads. 'Not me, not me, not me, not me . . .' Sure was going through _my_ head.

"How about . . . Kisame?" she said sweetly. I _felt_ him cringe. The rest of us (except Itachi) let out carefully concealed sighs of relief.

"So . . . who do I ask?"

"Anyone!"

"Alright then . . . Itachi?" The weasel in question turned a steely gaze towards his partner.

"Truth." was the answer. That was actually quite smart, if Itachi was anything like me. See, _I_ had no qualms about lying in a game of truth or dare, and I bet neither did S-ranked criminals, no matter what the rules said.

"Alright, then . . . what's your favorite food?"

* * *

><p>"This is boring . . ."<p>

"Akuma."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up, this was your idea."

"But it's so boring!" She looked like she was about to cry. "I can't believe that one of my parties could be this boring! One of _my_ parties!"

We were both in the kitchen. I was decided to bake cookies for our guests while Akuma whined in my ear, mostly to escape the absolutely intolerable atmosphere that permeated the living room.

"Well, what did you think was going to happen?" I said while flipping through my cookbook, an old, very dirty copy of Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook. "These are a bunch of very violent criminals, did you seriously believe that they would be as easy to embarrass as high school brats? Sure, we've got _one_ in our general age bracket, and he'd rather blow up a town than play spin the bottle. You reap what you sow, Akuma."

"But . . ."

"Help me decide what kind of cookies to make, why don't you?"

"Weren't you going to make marshmallows?"

"I was, but it slipped my mind. You know what, good idea; I'll get right on that while you go back to entertaining our guests. Try to keep them from wrecking the house. You'll pay for damages."

Her lower lip quivered. "Don't you have any sense of sympathy, compassion, empathy, _anything_?"

"Akuma, you should know better than to appeal to my better nature." I got out the butter, flour, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, milk, baking powder and salt. Cinnamon sugar cookies it was.

"Oh, that's right, you don't have one." she said spitefully.

"I'll let that one slide." I carefully measured out butter and sugar into the mixer. As an afterthought, I used some brown sugar instead of all white.

"Come on! Help me!"

"I already am. No one can resist my cookies."

"Have you ever heard of something called 'modesty'?"

"I have not." Her reply was drowned out by the whirling of the mixer. She looked mildly angry, and stomped out of the kitchen. As for me, there was no way I was going back out there, so I would just stay in here, and bake. Maybe I'd make a cake, and I still needed to get those marshmallows on . . . speaking of which, I should probably get some stuff ready for that.

The butter and sugar were creamed nicely, so I cracked an egg and turned the mixer back on, before adding cinnamon and a bit of milk. The dry ingredients went in next. I put the dough in the fridge to cool.

"What are you doing, hm? Shouldn't you be helping your friend?" He didn't surprise me this time. I think I was actually growing used to him being there.

"I'm baking, and my friend can take care of herself."

"It's awful out there. I almost feel sorry for Akuma, hm."

"Yeah, so would I."

"So what are you doing?"

"Baking. And I'll keep doing it while people are still sober enough to know that this party _sucks._" I set the gelatin in water to soak, separated eggs, and set corn syrup, sugar and water in a pot over the stove. On my way, I turned the oven on.

All the while, Deidara was watching me intently with _that_ look, arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the doorway. I could see a very vague smirk hovering over his lips, like he was amused at something. There were times when I really wondered what he was thinking. There were other times when I wondered if I cared.

I took my cookie dough out of the fridge, floured a board, and rolled it out. Before long star shaped cookies were set on a baking sheet, neatly arranged like little soldiers, ready to march into the oven.

As they cooked, there was a long, heavy silence in the kitchen. Deidara had stopped watching me, thankfully.

"Truth or dare, hm?"

"What?"

"A truth, or a dare?"

I sighed. Might as well play along, seeing as I was bored.

"Truth." I said shortly. Remember, I was still operating on the logic that nothing stopped me from lying. So I figured, whatever he asked would be fine.

"Aw, I'd hoped it would be a dare, that'd be more fun."

"I said truth. Take it or leave it."

"Alright. Is there any situation where you are alright with being touched? And leave Akuma out of it."

That was easy. I didn't even have to lie. A small, sinister grin grew on my face, leaving Deidara confused.

"Yes. When I'm beating someone up."

There was silence as we stared into each other's eyes. I guess this wasn't what he was expecting, but I should have known something bad was coming from the sleazy grin and weird, cocky, smug, rather self-satisfied look that appeared on his face.

"I guess you must like it rough."

It took a moment for that to sink in.

My own sinister grin disappeared. My face turned beet red. Like a zombie I shuffled to the cutlery drawer. I grabbed a knife.

He ran.

I ran after him.

* * *

><p>I tried to bring comedy back into this chapter, so let me know how it turned out.<p>

Now, reviews, three for today:

Amaya Sakaruta: Thanks for reading my story! I'm really happy you like Tenshi. I wonder if she and Mari would get along? Hah, probably not. Anyhow, yeah, I've always had the feeling that maybe, just maybe, all these intricate stories we read about are actually happening, somewhere, so I tried to incorporate that feeling into Tenshi's theory.

Good boy-chan: Your review was really encouraging. It's nice to know my story stands out even a little bit among all the other fics with the exact some plotline . . . I know there are a lot.

kyoki no megami: If you're reading this, then you know you actually guessed right! Yep, you won my little contest. So if you want you OC included in this story, send me a PM and we'll work things out.

So that's it for today. I will try to update more often, so review! Also, if you like Akatsuki stories, check out Amaya Sakaruta's story And It All Comes Down To The iPod. A DeidaraxOC story, AU. It's really good.

Peace out.


	14. When Tenshi Gets Really Pissed

Yeah, hey again. I have to say, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of reviews the last chapter got, so I wasn't really motivated. That's why this chapter is later then I intended. Well, thanks to those people who did review: **Good boy-chan**, **StarrlettAngel**, **lollipop112**.

Now, I'm not going to hold this story hostage, or put a quota on reviews, or anything, but I need to feel that someone actually cares enough to spend two seconds of their lives to review. And I _know_ people are reading.

Remember. _I see you_. Yeah, _you_. Review.

Warning: swearing up ahead. I'm not going to change it to M just for this, so be warned. Also, there is a fair amount of french, that I put just because I could. Translation's at the end.

* * *

><p>Akuma returned, dragging her feet, to the living room. She stopped in the doorway, sighing at the heavy ambiance. Her attempts at getting juicy info out of the Akatsuki had failed pathetically. They kept picking 'truth', and then blatantly lying. She knew because the answers were in the various Naruto guidebooks, which she knew by heart, of course, but she couldn't say anything because of Tenshi's little plan to keep the storyline intact. So they asked dumb, unnecessary questions, totally contrary to the spirit of the game, which was for the participants to embarrass themselves and reveal sensitive, juicy, tidbits of information.<p>

Akuma didn't really understand what Tenshi had meant, with that complicated theory of hers, but Akuma realized that Tenshi was far more intelligent than she was, so she listened whenever she was told to do something. Akuma was far from stupid, although she tended to lose a few IQ points when hot guys were around, so she recognized that her friend had a streak of pure (sometimes too pure) logic and reasoning that Akuma was unable to match. Not that her friend didn't have flaws. In fact, she was probably one of the meanest and most vindictive people Akuma had ever met. She was pretty, but shunned any form of contact; she was intelligent, but refused to help out anybody else. The only person she ever displayed any affection towards was Akuma herself, and Akuma might have been mildly frightened of her if she hadn't known Tenshi for so long, seeing firsthand the transformation of a little girl with a violent temper but a sweet, if shy, disposition, to a near-antisocial, aphephobic, rather paranoid misanthrope willing and capable to bash her perceived enemy's head in.

Yes, she was not a nice person. Her violent streak, for one, was something to be feared, as were her severe temper issues. But she was smart. So Akuma listened. But she wasn't scared. She would never be scared of her, because to Dawn, Angelique was the center of the world.

Akuma snapped back to the situation at hand. Hidan was getting rambunctious, demanding access to the booze, Kakuzu growling at him to sit down and shut up, Sasori sitting still as a log, looking rather impatient, Itachi motionless as well (but then, this was _Itachi_. Any emotion would be cause for concern) . . . you pretty much get the picture. She approached them. They didn't even look up.

"Alright, fine. You can start drinking now." she said rather acidly, eyes cast down. This was _so_ humiliating . . . how could _she_, Dawn, be unable to get info out of boys? Oh, well, they'd probably loosen up once they got alcohol in their bloodstream . . . hopefully they wouldn't trash Tenshi's house. That'd piss her off, and Tenshi was not pleasant when she was pissed.

"Finally!" Hidan dove for the vodka bottle, to have it promptly snatched up by Kakuzu's tentacle.

"Oy! Give that back!"

"Akuma. Glasses." ordered the masked man, ignoring his partner. Sasori rolled his eyes and Kisame chuckled. Itachi's reaction need not be described.

"Oh . . . sure, coming right up!" She smiled and twirled around, nearly crashing into Deidara who came running full speed from the kitchen. She knew something was wrong from the smug grin and cocky look in his visible eye. He zoomed past her. She looked towards the kitchen. Her eyes widened.

Tenshi was coming. Her face spoke of murder. And she had a knife in hand.

"Tenshi . . .?"

"Out of my way." she growled. "I'll fucking murder that motherfucking, cocky son of a bitch! I'll carve that dumb grin off his face, rip his balls off, beat his face till it's so bloody and blue you can't recognize it, bash his head in . . ." Akuma's eyes widened. She only heard Tenshi swear like that when she was really, seriously, I'm-gonna-kill-you pissed off. She continued growling a string of violent, explicit threats that got progressively darker as she stomped her way past Akuma. On her way, she switched to french, and that's when Akuma _really_ started panicking. When Tenshi slipped into french, just a word of advice, _run_.

"Tenshi? What did he do?" Akuma followed Tenshi back into the living room, ignoring her own sense of self-preservation.

"Ce connard, je vais le massacrer, il va pas comprendre, j'en ais ras le bol de cet espèce de cinglé . . . »(1)

«Tenshi? What did he do? »

"Franchement, j'en ai marre de ce fils de pute, je vais lui déchirer les . . . » (2)

« Tenshi ! Speak English ! »

« DEIDARA ! Ramène-toi, salaud ! Je vais te couper en morceau, je vais te casser les boules, te tabasser comme t'as jamais vu, tu vas voir, espèce de cinglé! T'es allé trop loin cette fois! » (3)

She screeched as she entered the living room, knife drawn. Deidara was near the french windows, as far as he could possibly get. When she saw him, Tenshi lunged.

Akuma caught her by the waist, halting her, then grabbed her wrists and wrestled her to the floor. It was tough, but she managed it. Tenshi continued yelling insults and threats, with no sign of reverting to English. This was inconvenient, because Akuma's knowledge of french was limited to the various insults and threats that Tenshi sometimes used when someone incurred her wrath. On anything else, she would be screwed, as she chose Japanese instead of french as a language in school.

"Dawn! Lâche-moi!" (4)

"No! Calm down! What could he have possibly done?"

"Il a . . . il m'a dit . . . » She turned beet red and trashed harder against her friend. (5)

The Akatsuki had jumped to their feet, ready for a fight, but calmed down seeing at first just another argument, then tensed again upon noticing the glimmer of the knife and the way their host was yelling in an incomprehensible language. Deidara, still looking cocky at the success of his attempt to get the girl riled up, smirked and approached. He figured that taunting her a little further would be fun.

"Whoa, that really got you going, hm."

"Va te faire foutre!" (6)

"Too bad, I can't understand what you're saying. But seriously, you're a prude, aren't you? I'm betting you're a virgin, hm."

Tenshi trashed harder against Akuma, who was seriously starting to feel the strain. She glared daggers at the blonde terrorist, and so did Akuma.

"Deidara, stop it! I can't hold her down for much longer!" He snickered and continued grinning, a spark of mischief dancing in his eye.

"Pervert! Ça t'amuse, hein? T'es qu'un terroriste avec un fétiche pour les explosions ! J'espère que tu te feras sauter par une de t'es bombes à la con ! Dawn, lâche-moi pour que je puisse massacrer ce FILS DE PUTE ! » With a great effort she threw Akuma off and dived for Deidara. The knife was about to slash his face into ribbons when her movements stopped abruptly. (7)

Tenshi glanced at the rest of the Akatsuki. Sasori had his hands held out, and chakra threads connecting each fingertip to her body, effectively stopping all movement.

Deidara yelped as Kakuzu's threads snaked their way around him, drawing his away from Tenshi. Hidan grabbed the knife, tucked it into his belt for later use and grinned when Tenshi directed her murderous glare at him.

Finally Itachi came forward, Sharingan blazing. Before Tenshi could even protest, she had slumped forward, limp, held up only by Sasori's threads, like a puppet.

Akuma sat back on her butt, trembling. Deidara writhed and yelled at Kakuzu to let him go. Kisame took hold of Tenshi as Sasori cut his threads, holding her gingerly away from his body as if she would awaken at any moment and beat his head in with a frying pan. Itachi deactivated his Sharingan and helped Akuma up, as she was shivering too hard to stand firmly.

Hidan sat back in the couch and took a swig of vodka straight from the bottle.

"Oh, yeah, that's the stuff."

They all stared at him.

* * *

><p>Translation:<p>

1-"That bastard, I'm gonna murder him, he's not gonna know what happened, I've had it with that crazy . . ."

2-"Seriously, I'm sick of that son of a bitch, I'm gonna tear off his . . ."

3-"DEIDARA! Come here, you bastard! I'm gonna cut you into pieces, break your balls, beat you like you've never felt before, you'll see, you crazy bastard! You went too far this time!"

4-"Dawn! Let me go!"

5-"He . . . he said . . ."

6-"Go to hell!" (or fuck you, whichever you prefer)

7-"Pervert! You think this is funny, right? You're nothing but a terrorist with an explosion fetish! I hope you'll get your ass blown up by one of your stupid bombs! Dawn, let me go so I can kill that SON OF A BITCH!"

That's it. If you're wondering how I speak french, it's because I'm bilingual and I live in France.

Remember, _I see you_. I know you're reading this. So review. Make the author happy.

Peace out.


	15. Back To School

Hello, once more, I'm back, sorry for the wait. First, thanks for all the reviews! I wasn't expecting so many, so they made me very happy. Cookies all around! Or something to that effect.

I have a question that's been bugging me for a while: does anyone know the author of the original Akatsuki-in-our-world-as-kittens story? It's such a widely used plot that I really started to wonder who came up with it.

A small warning: there is very minimal humor in this chapter. When I started this story, I really didn't know what to put under 'genres', so I left it blank to be free to do whatever I wanted. So, that means much less humor every once in a while, when my mood turns dark.

Enjoy, and review.

* * *

><p>"Akuma! Would you hurry up? We're going to be late!"<p>

"Sorry, sorry, five more minutes . . ."

"That's what you said when I tried to wake you up! Now move it!" I called.

I stood by the front door, tapping my foot impatiently, tugging at my uniform. It consisted of a white button down shirt, a black blazer, a blue necktie, and black pants. At least I had a choice between the pants and the skirt.

I checked my watch nervously. Seven thirty-five. School started at five past eight. It was a twenty minute drive to school, and we were running out of time because Akuma couldn't get her ass out of bed. I sighed.

"You know, you don't have to see us off." I said to the man standing like a silent shadow some distance from me. He blinked.

"Pein's orders." Sasori said shortly.

"Of course."

The morning after the fiasco with the knife, I had woken up with a massive headache (the Sharingan is nothing to sneer at. I had nightmares for god knows how long) and an overwhelming desire to deal some serious damage to something, _anything_. So, I'd tried to take my revenge on Deidara by taking him to the vet. I had the appointment made, I'd even managed to stuff the yellow, screeching, clawing kitten into the pet carrier, earning myself a good deal of scratches (note to self: next time, use thick gloves) and was nearly out the door before Pein told me I couldn't do that. When I'd tried to argue, he'd stared me down with those purple eyes of his, making me understand that I was seriously pushing it. He didn't need to say anything, just looked unblinkingly into my eyes, till I lowered my gaze in submission and let Deidara out of the carrier. I wasn't stupid. I could hold my own against all the other members, but I didn't fool myself for a second by believing that it was by my own power. Okay, maybe a little, but it was only because Pein was backing me that I hadn't been slaughtered already. Or maybe not. Maybe I had some value as entertainment for those guys, especially to one particularly annoying blondie, but still. Pein gave me control over his organization in exchange for protection, food, and shelter, but there were limits. He wasn't about to let me castrate one of his men, no matter what said man did. So he'd stopped me from taking Deidara to the vet. He had, however, assured me that he would be personally handling the punishment. Deidara had gone into Pein's room and come back out ten minutes later, a little pale, but still as cocky as ever. I have no idea what happened, but it didn't stop him from trying to annoy me.

Over the past week, he'd been testing my limits. He'd realized that his little joke had gone way past them, so he constantly probed them, annoying me, but not enough to make me so mad I'd chase after him, waving a knife around like a psychopath. It was infuriating, and the cocky bastard knew it. So I took my revenge in little, petty ways, like 'accidentally' locking him outside or spraying him with water, making sure his food was burnt or cold (_never_ underestimate a cook's power, bitches), even at one point tripping him down the stairs. Okay, so he did a ninja flip and landed on his feet, but still, I get credit for that.

While we played this little game, the others had keep well out of our way. Hidan and Kisame loved watching us bicker (reality TV shows can only provide so much entertainment before making you want to eat your own hand), Sasori looked at us with scarcely concealed contempt and a little amusement, Itachi (who suffered for several days of the burnt food treatment. I did not enjoy being Sharinganed) spent his time ignoring us and reading my textbooks, and Kakuzu left us along as long as we didn't bother him. Akuma showed him how to make money by playing online poker, and that kept him happy.

As for the Pein, Konan, and Zetsu trio, we didn't see much of them. Pein ordered me to bring him his food directly to his room (I had Akuma do it. I have some pride, you know), Konan ate with us, but spent most of her time with Pein, and Zetsu was nowhere to be seen. I suspect he was still gathering information and eating corpses in the morgue. There had been a special news report about that, by the way. 'The mystery of the disappearing bodies,' or something to that effect.

At any rate, back to the present. Akuma ran down the stairs, and came to a stop in front of me, hair perfectly done, and makeup applied. Her uniform was the same as fine except for a short black pleated skirt instead of the pants I wore. Just so you know, we go to a private school. That's why we have a uniform.

"Let's go!" she said.

"Yeah, yeah . . . Here we go again . . ." I sighed. "Alright, we're leaving you guys alone, so don't make a mess, leave the house, kill each other, blah blah, you know the drill." I told Sasori. He nodded.

"When will you be back?"

"Around four o'clock." He nodded again. "I mean it. I trust you guys no to start the apocalypse, which is something I'd never thought I'd say, so _behave_." He rolled his eyes.

Akuma and I left the house. I locked it behind me, a knot forming in the pit of my stomach. Stress was starting to pile on me again. Not only did I have to deal with the Akatsuki, but school as well. It's not easy for someone with aphephobia to function in crowded public spaces, and the noise always gave me just a headache that I wanted to bang my head on the wall till I passed out. At least I'd already made it clear that I was to be left alone, and since our school is small, word gets around pretty quickly. Oh, there was always that time at the beginning of a new school year where people insisted on talking to the resident loner, yours truly, despite the wide spread knowledge that 'Angelique is to be left alone' that all the others had incorporated. There were rumors about me, which I ignored. People always talk about the unusual things, and the students seemed to think that I fit neatly into the category of 'oddity.'

We got into the car and I turned the keys in the ignition. We were off. It was actually lucky that my parents weren't around, because otherwise I'd have to take the damn bus, which I _hate_. And no, I don't own my own car.

The drive took only fifteen minutes, because I weighed the odds of getting caught speeding versus the punishment handed out to tardy students, and acted accordingly. Akuma put some music on, so we spent the ride listening to Green Day.

We arrived with two minutes to spare.

"Okay, see ya after school! I'll meet you here, 'kay?"

"Sure."

We raced off to our respective classrooms. I had Math, and she had English, but we unfortunately didn't have many classes in common. Even then, we didn't hang out together. She had her own group of friends, and I preferred to be alone.

The corridors were starting to empty as the clocked ticked closer to the time of doom that was five past eight, but only barely. I wove in between the crowd as fast as I could with the skills gained from years of scrupulously avoiding human contact. I reached my classroom with five minutes to spare and took a seat next to the window. After three minutes I checked my watch. Nearly time.

"Three, two, one . . ." I covered my ears.

A horrible sound like a stampede erupted throughout the school as students rushed to class with less than two minutes to spare. _Every morning_. Now you know why I always insist on coming early.

The last stragglers sat down just as the bell rang and the teacher came in.

Math class was enjoyable, as far as classes go. I was left pretty much alone with my textbook, to work at my own pace, which was actually faster than the other students, even in the advanced class. Math and physics were my strong points, though I sucked in literature and anything related. My grades were average because I only did the strict minimum to get a decent grade and get my parents off my back. They had control over the internet after all, and thus the anime supply, so it was in my best interest to keep them content. The only class in which I actually worked, and took pleasure in, was physics. The sheer mysteries of the universe, all the things that can't be explained, were fascinating to me. The Akatsuki appearing fit nicely into that frame of mind when you consider the implications of the situation. Alternate realities and worlds were real, chakra and all its properties were real, and thus could most likely be explained with physics, and it might even be possible to do things that are considered impossible, such as inter-dimensional travel, though being able to figure all that out at my age with my limited knowledge would be close to impossible. But still, _close_ to impossible implied that there is a _possibility_, no matter how small. It was sad that if I tried to convince the real physicians to study the matter, I would get sent to the loony bin. Adults are such a bore. No imagination at all.

The hour passed by, as hours usually do. The bell rang, signaling the time to head to the next class.

This went on, day after day, week after week, month after month, a boring cycle, over and over, till I felt like I could get lost and drown in the pure monotony. I was fine with that. Really.

As the day passed by in a blur of stampeding students, shrill schoolgirls, loud teachers, bright classrooms that made spots swim in front of my eyes, my head began to throb painfully. The noise, the brightness, the chatter, the footsteps, everything dissolved into a confused mass of sensory information that danced around me, pounding through my head, turning the world into a haze of colors and sounds. I wanted desperately to go home, in my room with the blinds closed, where it was dark and quiet and secluded. But I couldn't. I had to stay till the final bell chimed and even then, I had to deal with _them_.

"Tenshi?" I jerked out of it so fast my head spun. I raised my face to see Akuma standing over me with a worried look.

"Akuma?"

"Are you okay? You . . ."

"I'm fine," I said quickly, too quickly, my words stumbling over themselves. "I just . . . spaced out, I guess. Which class is this?" I could vaguely remember walking through corridors, in a daze. I checked my watch. One o'clock, the hour after lunch. I couldn't remember going to the cafeteria, which was in another building, so I must've skipped a meal, but my stomach was twisted in a knot so that even the idea of food made me sick.

"Health. Are you sure . . ."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Go back to your friends." I said, crossing my arms over my desk and burying my face in them. I didn't want to see the look on my only friend's face, I hated it when I made her worry, so the sad, troubled expression she wore was more than I could bear in my present state of mind.

She patted my head twice like you would a child's, her hand incredibly cool and comfortable, before going back to her group of friends.

I stayed there throughout the class, arms crossed, face down. Everyone left me alone, even the teachers. They knew they couldn't help me, even if they felt the inclination to do so, even if there was anything they could do, they knew I would never accept anybody's help. Even Akuma had only a limited ability to make things better for me, not that she didn't try, but I was at times simply beyond her reach.

I waited patiently for the day to end. It would end, eventually. Everything ends, it's just a matter of when.

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><p>Aaaaaah, school starts up again tomorrow . . . what a drag.<p>

Anyway, sorry if it's not what you expected. I had a hard time figuring out where to go from the last chapter.

I'm really tired right now, so _bonne nuit_.

Peace out.


	16. Hint Of A Reputation

Hello! Here's a new chapter for you guys. You've probably already heard of Kony 2012, right? If you haven't, then what the hell are you doing? Get your ass over to YouTube right now! My story can wait!

Review!

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><p>The bell rang out, echoing through my aching head, and the students bolted out of their seats like a slingshot. The cacophony of the bell, the scraping of the chairs on the floor, the stomping of hundreds of feet eager to get out and taste freedom after a long day shut inside this hell-hole. I waited for it to cease before packing my stuff and leaving. I hurried through the nearly deserted corridors, accompanied only a few stragglers. As I passed an intersection, I noticed some voices. Female voices, laughing unpleasantly. I glanced over.<p>

It was the group of girls we had seen at the mall, and that was enough to catch my attention. They were wearing our uniform, so they must be going to this school. They were probably transfer students; something we rarely got here, but that nonetheless was known to happen. What really caught my attention was that they were ganging up on someone. That someone happened to be Ava, the eccentric girl that Akuma had nicknamed Yuri. They were laughing at her, calling her names, making fun of her colorful tights, bright makeup, funky shoes, and other various accessories Yuri used to assert her individuality. The girl's face was flushed, and she bit her lip nervously. One of the new girl's hands reached towards her, and tugged mockingly on Yuri's spiked collar.

My eyes narrowed, my eyebrows shot down, and my mouth twisted. Yuri was a very good friend of Akuma's, good enough to trust with dealing with the Akatsuki (even if she _was_ Sharinganed into forgetting that incident). And these two girls were picking on her. My mind rapidly processed these two facts, and within a minute I was striding over to them, shoes clacking loudly in the empty corridor. My hand closed on the girl's wrist. It was the brunette that had been interested in Deidara.

"That's enough." I said. The contact made my hand ache and burn, but awoke no feeling of panic. _I_ was in control.

"Who are you?" she spat, trying to jerk her hand out of my grasp. I tightened my hand, and she gasped. Her friends tried to grab me, but I glared at them, putting every ounce of maliciousness in my eyes, so they would know I was not to be trifled with. They backed away.

"My name's Angel. You're new, aren't you? Have you heard what they say about me yet?"

"Why should I? Are you special or something, you little bitch?" she snarled. Her show of bravery collapsed as I squeezed harder. Her face turned pale and her eyes frightened.

"Ask anyone about me. Since you just came here, and no one's warned you yet, know this. Don't mess with me. Or anyone that's friends with Dawn Sanders, like this girl." I jerked my head towards Yuri. "If you do, you _will_ regret it." I let go of her wrist and she staggered back.

"I'll remember this," she hissed. "I may be new, but I'm not a pushover. You don't scare me!"

"You can either listen to my warning, or suffer the consequences. I've got my eye on you now. You'd better watch your back." I tapped my index finger between my eyes. I heard a little gasp from Yuri, but kept my eyes fixed on these girls. They stumbled back.

"You . . ." she didn't finish. They turned and ran.

I sighed heavily, running my hand through my red streaked hair, ruffling it up. This was why I hated it when new students arrived, or when a new year started. There was always a couple who didn't listen to the warnings contained in the rumors, and tried to bother me or pick on someone Akuma liked. Bullies, overexcited first year boys, popular girls used to being at the top of the food chain, they came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and all of them were annoying little flies who didn't know what they were in for. I left everyone alone, and expected the same courtesy. But if someone messed with me, Akuma, or someone she cared about, I would be forced to rouse myself out of this constant, intentional stupor and do something about it. Like now.

Man, I need a drink.

"Hum . . . Angel?" I heard a tiny voice come from behind me.

"Yeah?" I turned.

"Thanks for this. Should I tell Dawn? Those girls have been picking on people all day. You know, they're that type . . ."

"I know. The type of girls used to getting their way, the alphas, you could say. Don't worry; you know what happens to these types around here."

Yuri smiled weakly. Her eyes shone with unshed tears and her face was white. She obviously hadn't handled the taunting very well. My eyes narrowed further.

"Run along, Yuri. If they bug you again, tell Dawn. Does she know about the new girls?"

"She hasn't seen them do anything bad yet."

"Okay. Seriously, keep me informed. I have a feeling this isn't going to end peacefully."

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><p>I drummed my finger on the steering wheel. Akuma was late.<p>

Was she simply chatting with a friend? Or had something happened to her? I couldn't know. I had the feeling that giving those girls Akuma's name was a mistake. If they wanted to take over the school, I had told them exactly who they needed to subdue. But I was probably getting ahead of myself, there was no guarantee they would step up their game.

Someone tapped on the window. Akuma was finally here. I unlocked the car door and she slipped inside, beaming brightly. The little knot of tension inside my chest unwound.

"Hey Tenshi, guess what? There are three new students!" I momentarily froze before starting the car and driving out of the parking lot.

On the way back, she told me about the girls. The brunette was named Rebecca, the short haired blonde was Sarah and the long-haired auburn was Kelly. I didn't catch their last names. Apparently, their families were very close and had moved into the area recently, enrolling the girls into the same school. Rebecca had an older brother, but the other two were single-children. Their families were fairly wealthy, nothing to the scale Dawn's family, but enough to purchase large homes. All this info was valuable; anything that could help me predict what their response would be to today's incident was useful. They got on my radar, and by Jashin they weren't going to get off it so easily.

We arrived much later, due to traffic. I had to listen to Akuma talk about her day, and her friends, and her classes, and about how the cafeteria food was totally disgusting . . . I tuned her out.

She was still yammering as we walked through the door. I tossed my coat and bag in the corner and went to the kitchen for a snack. Akuma took her stuff to the dining room to get started on her homework.

I opened the refrigerator door and scanned its contents. Not much. Another shopping trip was in order.

"Hi there. Miss me, hm?"

"Go away." I snapped. I grabbed a can of Ginger Ale and passed by Deidara on my way to the living room. He was close on my heels, but not close enough to cause discomfort.

"Come on! We were bored without you around."

I refused to dignify that with an answer. I lied back in my chair, and let out a deep sigh. He took a seat on the couch, at the end closest to me, scrutinizing me with that intense, smoldering look. He placed his chin on the palm of his hand.

"Rough day?"

"You have no idea." I blurted out without thinking. He smirked.

"Want to talk about it, hm?"

"What are you, a shrink?"

"A what?" He looked puzzled.

"Never mind. No, I do not want to talk about it." There was a moment of silence. I felt the urge to squirm under his scrutiny, but couldn't tell him to cut it out for fear of letting him know he was bothering me. The tense silence was finally broken.

"Can I ask you something, hm?"

"No, you may not."

"Remember when you came after me with a knife?"

"Vividly."

"Before that, you said that you were okay with being touched when you were fighting."

"That's not a question."

"Well, you said you wouldn't answer one, hm."

"Touché."

At that moment Kisame and Sasori came in.

"Hey Red." I lazily waved. Said puppet blinked at me and sat on the floor, in front of my chair, leaned back against it, and turned on the TV. Kisame looked slightly injured.

"Why are you only greeting him?" He grumbled, taking a seat as well.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I said sarcastically. "Hey Blue." I half-waved. He looked even more injured.

"That isn't funny." he grumbled. He crossed his arms sullenly and stared at the TV, ignoring me.

"What did I say?"

"Never mind that, hm. Tell me more about . . ."

"Oy, bitch! Where's the last Ginger Ale?" Hidan called from the kitchen. I took a sip of my drink. The Jashinist came storming into the living room, visibly pissed off. Deidara was also annoyed at having been interrupted a second time.

"That's mine, you fucking bitch! Give it back!"

"My house, remember." I eyed his naked chest (get your mind out of the gutter). "Okay, tell you what. I'll let you have what's left if you go see Akuma and tell her I'm calling for Plan H-H-T."

"Why should . . ." he protested, only to be cut as I mimed taking a sip. "Oh, fine!" He stomped to the dining room, where Akuma was busy working. Sasori looked up at me curiously.

"What's Plan H-H-T?"

"You'll see," I grinned happily. A squeal and loud stomping was heard as Akuma raced upstairs. Crashing and rummaging followed, and after that more stomping as she raced downstairs. I was grinning so hard my face hurt.

"Fuck no! I'm not wearing that!"

"If you want the Ginger Ale, you, have, too!" She said in a singsong voice.

"Fuck you!" He strode back into the living room and saw me with the can. The look on his face was priceless; he was trying to decide between getting the drink, and losing his dignity. Finally he broke.

"No! Nothing is fucking worth that! Screw you, bitch!" He sat between Deidara, who was watching the situation with some amusement, and Kisame, whose attention was entirely captured by the soap opera currently running.

Akuma came in, holding a pink Care Bear shirt, looking like someone's just told her Christmas was canceled because Santa got drunk and ran over the Easter Bunny.

"You were going to make him wear that, hm?" laughed Deidara. Hidan glowered at him.

"Yeah," said Akuma sullenly. She then perked up. "Oh, can I try Plan H-B-P?"

"No, save that or when you need him to do something worse. Don't waste it here."

"What the hell are you talking about? Tell me or I'll sacrifice you to Jashin-Sama!" Akuma giggled.

"Nah. I guess it's alright that you don't want to wear it. I don't mind seeing you without a shirt." She stuck her tongue out playfully and skipped back to her homework. Hidan smirked.

"Bitch wants me." I snorted, nearly spraying Ginger Ale out my nose. "What's so funny?"

I jammed my drink in Sasori's hands before going into a fit of laughter. They looked at me like I was crazy.

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><p>Well, that's it for today. As for my little contest, the winner has yet to claim the prize. That's a big problem or me because at this point, I have a general idea of where the story is going and fitting in another OC would be difficult. So, <strong>Kyoki no Megami<strong>, if you want your OC in this, send me a PM before next Friday, and I'll see what I can do. If you don't, then feel free to ignore this.

Finally, thank you, people-who-reviewed. It makes the author very happy, an a happy author is more likely to bust her ass and fight the demons of procrastination (they are fearsome, I can tell you that). So review!

Peace out.


	17. Thinking Process

I'm sorry. There, I said it. I know I haven't updated in a while. I've just been busy. To anybody still actually interested in this, well, thanks. I'm sorry.

Reviews make me happy.

Sorry.

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><p>"Hey, Tenshi, can we play a game?"<p>

I looked at her. She blinked sweetly.

"Oh, god, flashback, flashback." I moaned, clutching my head.

"Not that kind of game. I was thinking that we could get the Wii out."

"Fine. Just don't . . . you know, remember last time? With the knife?" I mimed stabbing.

"That actually didn't have anything to do with my game." she said rather acidly.

"No, but I associate the two together. What games did you bring over?"

"Two seconds, I'll go get them." She left to fetch the Wii. It was her own, brought here when she moved in. No, I don't own any game consoles.

"What is she doing?" asked Sasori. He was still occupying the same spot, leaning against my chair. Strangely enough, I wasn't bothered by his proximity. That fact had just begun to dawn on me, and it was mildly . . . well, I didn't actually have a word for how it made me feel. I just settled for ignoring it. Ignoring things usually makes them go away.

"Getting her Wii. It's a game type thing. You'll see. Kisame, you'll have to turn that off."

He didn't even look away from the show. It was some dumb soap opera I was thankfully tuning out using the power of insanity. If I had to actually pay attention to those things (God forbid) I would promptly throw the TV out the window and loose every last shred of hope in humankind I had left in my grubby little soul. That was when I'd probably have to turn into a serial killer.

"Kisame! Did you hear me?"

"Shh!" He shushed me. He actually _shushed_ me!

"Listen here, you great blue lump . . ." he shushed me, _again_! If Sasori hadn't been blocking me, I would have sprung up and . . .

"Hey, Tenshi, I got it! Help me set it up!"

"We have to wait." I hissed. "Unless mister shark can stop rotting his brain in front of those stupid shows! Oy! Are you listening to me?"

"No, he is not."

"Shut up, Red!"

Akuma sighed, all excitement gone like a deflated balloon. She picked up the remote and off went the TV. Kisame blinked, frowned, looking confused as to why the screen was suddenly blank. Akuma grinned and held up the remote. There was a moment where the wheels in Kisame's head started turning again.

"Akuma," he growled. "Give it back, NOW!"

She grinned, and stuck her tongue out.

He sprang up. She took off.

She ran, Kisame hot on her heels, around the couch, weaving in between the coffee table, my chair, into the dining room (cue noises of Kisame crashing into the chairs), back to the living room, knocked over a plant, jumped over the couch, nearly smashed into the coffee table, slid on the rug, and raced down the hallway with the shark man in hot pursuit.

"Akuma! Come back here!" he roared.

"Tenshi! Set up the Wii! Now, now, now!"

The chase ended when Akuma ran headlong into Deidara, who was coming to see what the commotion was all about. In quick succession she glanced at him, the remote, and Kisame coming up behind. She thrust the remote into Deidara's hands and ducked out of the way. The terrorist looked like he hadn't the slightest clue what was going on, and shrieked like a girl when Kisame lunged at him. He ducked down and sped past into the living room. Akuma was on the other side, near the windows. She waved at Deidara.

"Throw it to me!" she yelled. He obliged. She caught it and before Kisame could get too close, threw it right back.

"Tenshi! How's the Wii going?" she yelled, still playing catch with the remote. Kisame was torn as to whom to go after.

Sasori and I sighed in unison. We shared a look. He scooted over and I got up. I reached for my water bottle.

You can guess the outcome of this situation, can't you?

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><p>"Okay, Akuma, the Wii's up and running." The screen turned on to the menu, and the little music played. Yep, it was running just fine.<p>

The reason Akuma asked me to set it up is because she isn't good with technology. Like, at all. The same as with cooking, Akuma was best kept clear of any electronic objects.

"What shall we play?"

"Mario Kart?" I suggested. She hugged the blue kitten. The little creature tried to gnaw at her finger with tiny little kitten teeth.

"Sure! You guys wanna play?" she asked Sasori and Deidara. The other guys were . . . off somewhere, I don't know. I glanced critically at the annoyed kitten on Akuma's lap.

"You know, Kisame, you could have just gotten up and pressed the buttons on the TV."

Half an hour later, Sasori was kicking our asses into next week.

We raced head to head down the road, and he executed a perfect turn while I went skittering across the ice and crashed into a penguin (it was the Sherbet Land course). I quickly caught up, but he's picked up a green shell and before I knew it, he'd dropped behind me and fired. He zoomed past me and across the finish line.

I threw the controller down.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! I'm sick of this! Can't we play something else?"

"You're just saying that 'cause you hate losing, hm."

"I don't want to hear that from you. You keep finishing last! You're worse than Akuma at this, and she keeps driving into rocks and off cliffs!"

"I'm so better at this than she is, hm!"

"You would be if you didn't stop and _cheer_ every time there's an explosion on the damn screen!"

"Art is a BANG!" he shouted at me.

"Who gives a fuck? You SUCK blondie!"

"Don't insult my art! I'll blast you to pieces, hm!"

"No you won't! You don't have any clay, moron!"

"I . . ."

"Could you both be quiet?" snapped Sasori. I huffed indignantly and returned to my chair.

"Well I'm not playing anymore. It's so stupid, I should have known Red would be good at this." I sighed.

"What makes you say that?" he asked. Akuma and Deidara looked at me curiously. The former smiled happily.

"Ooooh, Tenshi's been thinking, that's always interesting to watch."

I glanced at her, mildly irritated, but returned to explaining this little theory I had.

"Okay, let's do this. Akuma, how does Red fight?"

She raised an eyebrow. "With puppets, _duh_. I know the Akatsuki aren't your favorite characters, but come _on_!"

"Never mind, I'll do this myself." I snapped. "More specifically, he controls puppets using chakra strings, meaning it's all done through finger movements. Now, can you tell me what specific skills he would need to successfully maneuver a puppet located some distance from himself?"

"Hum . . ." she frowned, and bit her lip. "No."

Sasori stared intently at me, listening, his expression unreadable.

"He would need excellent depth perception, to judge distances between two objects, not just himself. He would have to be able to aim at something not using his own body as a reference, but essentially project himself into an object completely differentiated from his own self. Are you with me so far?"

"No." Akuma and Deidara said simultaneously.

"Too bad. For example, say you want to throw a knife. Your brain has to calibrate the distance between you and your target, using, among other things, your vision. However, it's harder when you're having something that's _not_ you do it, because your brain can't use what you see with your own eyes as a reference point. Simply put, you're not aware of the body doing the throwing; you don't see what it sees, so it's a lot harder, things like distances can get distorted. It takes a certain amount of skill to pull it off."

"How does this relate to video games?" asked Akuma.

"Think for a moment. Driving a cart, or controlling a character on a screen, is essentially controlling a puppet. The only difference is that you're using a controller instead of your fingers, which brings me to my next point. When making his puppets fight, Red has to execute the exact finger and arm movements required, with flawless timing. To create complex movements, such as those required for good strategy and realistic battle abilities, the preciseness required increases. Screw up, miss even a twitch, move a second too late, and it's game over. And you don't get to start the level over."

"But playing Mario Kart isn't the same as fighting a battle!"

"I never said it was. Just the skills required, such as knowing when to turn, when to accelerate, aiming those damn green shells, you know what I mean, correspond to skills needed to effectively control a puppet. It's just a matter of figuring out which button does what, exactly like knowing which finger twitch moves which limb. In fact, playing a simple game like Mario Kart is so easy in comparison to controlling a puppet, that _of course_ he'd be ridiculously good at it! This is my original point. I was an idiot not to think of this sooner. It's food for thought, isn't it? "

There was a long, drawn out silence. Sasori seemed to be mulling over my little theory, Akuma was thinking hard, and Deidara looked at me blankly.

"You think too much." he said bluntly.

"Well at least I _actually_ think. Your mind goes like this: See object. Ask: can it be blown up? If yes: Art is a bang! If no: lose all interest. It can't exactly be classified as a complex thinking process."

"I'm interested in things that can't be blown up, hm!"

"Give me a for instance." I yawned.

He tried to think of something, but as I said, it was a bit difficult. I don't think he's actually stupid, he's an S-ranked criminal, for god's sake; the only way you can be dumb in the Akatsuki is to either be immortal and not care, or secretly be a criminal mastermind. So, let's just say Deidara has a one track mind. Besides, all those years of being in close proximity to loud, violent explosions had probably damaged a couple of brain cells.

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><p>Again, I'm really sorry. I'll try to make it up to you. In the meantime, we're approaching 100 reviews! I never thought I'd ever write a story with so many reviews, it's mind-boggling. So, the person who gives me my one hundredth review will see their OC included in the story.<p>

I wasn't planning on putting another OC in at this point, but, well, I fell bad about not updating when you guys have been reviewing. I love reviews. They make me happy, and I really need that right now. School is hard, enough said.

Peace out.


	18. Bloody Hallucinations

Hello! Not much to say this time around, except that I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It's much more up my alley than humor.

I like creepy things.^^

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><p>Akuma stood in front of the door, legs crossed, her long brown hair in a high ponytail secured with a pink ribbon. Her light makeup was done, her jacket was slung on her arm and her school bag was at her feet.<p>

She glanced at her watch. Tenshi was late. Such an occurrence was extremely rare, given her insistence on being as early as possible. Akuma frowned at Itachi, who stood in the doorway much as Sasori had done before.

"Is one of you going to see us off every day? 'Cause that's gonna get old real fast." she said.

"Hn."

"I'll take that as a yes. Where _is_ she?" Akuma exploded. "After all the fuss she makes for me to be on time . . ."

"Did you see her this morning?" asked Itachi.

"Now that you mention it . . . she was up before me like always, but I didn't see her at all." she scratched her cheek with a pink fingernail.

"Did you try calling her?"

Akuma looked sheepish. "Tenshi hates it when I call her name across the house, so no."

"Did you look for her?"

Akuma was getting annoyed. "No . . . but I . . ."

"You might want to do that. I'll help."

They didn't have to look for long. They found Tenshi collapsed in the kitchen. In a flash Akuma was at her side and shaking her.

"Tenshi! Tenshi! She's unconscious!"

"Let me see." Itachi knelt down and placed his hand on Tenshi's forehead before Akuma could stop him, fingertips glowing slightly with chakra.

She stirred and moaned, eyes opening slightly. His hand was gone before she could panic, and she struggled to sit up. She blinked painfully.

"Don't move," Itachi said in a soft voice. "You have a very high fever. I sent some of my chakra into you to wake you up and cool your temperature down, but it will only be temporary. My knowledge of medical ninjutsu is not advanced enough to help you further. You must rest."

Akuma stared. "Did I know you could do that? Oh, never mind, Tenshi, he's right, you're sick! Sick, I say!" She was panicking, eyes a little too wide.

"Shouldn't you be going to school?" snapped Tenshi, still struggling to get up off the floor. Itachi frowned.

"Wait. I'll go get Kisame."

Tenshi managed to haul herself up using the counter as a handle, despite Akuma's protests. She trembled for a moment, but held fast.

"There's no way I'm going! You need someone to take care of you!"

"I can take care of myself. And you have gymnastics practice today, right? There's that competition in a couple of weeks, you need to practice . . ."

"Are you kidding me? I'm not . . . "

"Akuma," Tenshi snarled "If you don't get your butt out of this house and onto that school bus, which you will miss if you don't get going soon, I swear I'll . . ." she started coughing.

"Fine." said Akuma through gritted teeth just as Itachi was back with Kisame in tow. "If you insist."

The blue man took one look at Tenshi and raised an eyebrow. She was flushed, sweating, and barely holding herself up, but she glared at him murderously.

"Let me guess, he's here to carry me up to my room? Not a chance, I can walk."

"No, you cannot." Itachi said matter-of-factly.

"Shut up!"

"What's all the fuss so early in the morning?"

"Oh great! Sasori, where were you?" Akuma raised her voice. "You should have heard Tenshi fall, or noticed her, or . . . or . . . something! You could have helped!" The puppet stared at her in a condescending manner, eyes bored. They changed when they fell upon Tenshi.

"Are you all right?" he asked, and Akuma could have sworn she heard _worry_ infiltrating itself in his voice.

"I'm fine . . . really . . ." she stumbled, eyes growing unfocused. "Akuma, go to school, and you people, go away. I can take care of myself . . . I'm . . just fine . . . on my own . . ."

Kisame caught her as she passed out again.

Itachi sighed. "Kisame, carry her to her room. Sasori, get Konan."

Kisame hauled the once again unconscious girl in his arms.

"You know, this is the second time I've had to carry her." he remarked. "She's lighter than she looks." He then left, a worried Akuma dogging his steps. Sasori complied with Itachi's orders, a frown adorning his ageless face.

A short while later, Tenshi was in bed with a wet cloth over her forehead. Her fever was still high, and she had yet to wake up. Konan had been instructed by Akuma to keep a close eye on her, and to let nobody into the room, no matter what, or something really bad would happen.

Akuma hesitated before leaving. She didn't want to leave Tenshi alone, especially while she was so sick, but . . . Tenshi had insisted.

She ran down the street as fast as her thin legs could carry her, ponytail bouncing behind her like a brown flag streaming in the wind, nice designer shoes pounding the pavement. She stumbled and nearly tripped, but continued. She arrived at the bus stop just in time.

She sat down on an empty seat, breathing hard. With an unpleased twist of her little pink mouth, she noticed her thigh-high socks were torn, her hair was a mess, and her makeup was smudged by sweat. She removed her ribbon and began to brush her hair with a small brush she carried with her. The makeup would have to wait until break time.

Suddenly a shadow loomed over her, blocking the sunlight.

Dawn didn't know at that moment, but she would later wish she had never gone to school that day.

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><p>My head was pounding in my skull, my ears rang, and my body felt as weak as an over-boiled noodle. The coolness of the cloth on my forehead felt really nice.<p>

I opened my eyes. I didn't know how long I'd been asleep, but it must have been several hours. My vision was blurry, but I thought I recognized Konan with the origami flower in her hair. She was reading the sixth volume of Inuyasha. Her eyes flicked to me and she noticed that I was awake.

"Hold on, I'll get you some water." she said with a small, sweet smile, putting aside her book. That's right, I actually like her, she's not a bad guy . . . She's nice, she won't hurt me.

Somebody opened the door. It wasn't Konan, the steps were too heavy. A mass of yellow hair entered my field of vision, as well as a bright blue eye. A strange smirk wavered in front of me distorted and blurry.

"I heard you were sick, hm."

I didn't answer. In my mind, things were not working properly because of the fever. I recognized him, vaguely, but the train of thought I used to convince myself he wouldn't hurt me, and so be able to be around him without panicking, was not working. He was . . . dangerous. Sadistic. An enemy. He wouldn't hesitate to blow me up if he could. He'd enjoy it. The image of him astride his bird, and expression of exultant joy on his face as he blew an entire village to dust and flames pressed itself upon me. He was going to hurt me . . . hurt me . . . hurt me . . .

I jumped out of bed, adrenaline pounding through my veins knocking him aside and racing out of the room, panic making strength flow into my limbs. I had to run away, run away, run away . . . I passed a startled Hidan in the hall and my fear increased tenfold. The image that welled up in my mind was that of the silver-haired man covered in blood, skeleton-like markings on his skin . . . I ran faster. I heard the vague sounds of somebody pursuing me, but I didn't stop, couldn't stop.

I rushed in the kitchen and grabbed a knife with trembling hands.

I had to do this. I had to kill them, had to, or they'd kill me.

I ran back into the living room. Deidara was there, yelling something, along with Hidan and Sasori. This time, the red-head evoked an image of someone dying a slow painful death, purple poison eating its way through them.

Then the person dying was me. I felt the shock and burning of an explosion, I was stabbed and slashed by a three-bladed scythe; poison crawled in my veins with cold agony . . . My body no longer felt weak, the pain brought a fresh wave of adrenaline and I could stand firmly. My hands still trembled, but with fear. I was afraid, so afraid, I couldn't help it, they were going to kill me!

Hidan lunged for me and I screamed. I cringed from his hand, eyes wide and sweat dripping down my temple. I ran away, stumbled to the front door, I had to get away . . .

My arm was taken by a vice like grip. It was Hidan's hand, rough against my skin, burning my skin off, sending cold impulses of panic running through my nerves. I whirled around and stabbed him in the heart.

Blood bloomed like a thousand crimson flowers, covering my hand. The grip faded. But in its place was a burn, the shape of a closed fist, the skin blistered and black, hurting cruelly. I looked at his face. It seemed to be grinning, inhuman, still alive after being stabbed. I looked at my hands.

There was too much blood. A vicious pain grew in my gut, and I looked down. My stomach was bleeding from dozens of stab wounds. My arms were bleeding. A cut on my temple was bleeding. There was too much blood!

I looked beyond the menacing figures. Shadows were growing, tracing a thousand designs on the wall, I could hear them laughing at me reaching their hands towards me, their voices reaching in my brain and shredding it from the inside, I screamed and clutched my head, leaving a burning, bloody handprint on my cheek

One of them tried to reach for me, and his hand was intertwined with the shadows, they overlapped, they were the same, they were coming for me. A finger of darkness touched my bloodstained cheek.

The walls and floors shuddered and groaned, spitting forth crawling black vines and flowers that wept blood with a roar of breaking earth and falling plaster. They covered everything, plunging the world in darkness, eating the light.

I screamed and ran.

I wrenched open the front door, cringing from the weeping rose thorns that covered it and ran out into the street. The sky was red, the sun was black, scalding ash fell from the sky. More thorns grew on the ground, but I kept on running even as they tore my feet.

I was in a forest, clutching my still bleeding stomach to keep my insides from falling out, stumbling over thorny roots, my feet leaving behind blood tracks, running away from _him_. He was after me, wasn't he? He would catch if I didn't keep running, so keep on running, run, run away, that's all I can do in the end, just keep on running till I finally get caught and slaughtered. Like prey. I knew I'd get caught one day. _He_ was still alive.

I voice floated down from the red sky. Laughter, faint whispers crawling in my ear and down my spine. I looked up and saw a falling figure. An angel with wings torn and bloody, short blond hair streaked red with blood . . .

Me?

A hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. The forest turned like a kaleidoscope, red and black and white with feathers from the fallen angel's wings.

I fought, screaming, kicking, clawing, but the figure was too strong. It took my chin in its hand, forcing me to look up.

My eyes met red one with three black drops spinning in them.

And then I couldn't see anything anymore.

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><p>Review! I know this chapter is a bit different, but I really like writing stuff like this. Call it practice for the sequel to my book, which I plan on making really creepy.<p>

Peace out.


	19. A Promise: Konan and Akuma

Hello! It's been a while, but I'm back! Thank you for all the reviews I got. Really its amazing, I never thought I'd get so many. So keep it up! I'm sort of having a hard time right now, so they mean the world to me.

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><p>Konan loomed over the limp figure of Tenshi, and wiped away the bloody handprint on her cheek. Itachi had brought her back after the incident, and Konan had gasped at the blood on her hands, face and feet, before being reassured that none of it was Tenshi's. After having made sure that the young girl was safely in bed, Konan had cornered the three members and threatened to smother them with her papers if they so much as put one foot inside Tenshi's room. She refused to listen to their protests.<p>

Konan was very worried about Tenshi. The young girl was obviously unstable to begin with, and she knew that the Akatsuki's presence had only made it worse. The result was guilt, worsened by the fact that she had been in charge of caring for the girl, and that this had happened on her watch. She also resented Pein ever so slightly. They could have, after all, found another place to stay, and as time wore on, it was painfully obvious to Konan that their presence was very painful for Tenshi. But Pein had been adamant; they would stay in this house till they found a way back to their world. So the only thing Konan could do was stay by the girl's side and wipe away the sweat and blood, with the knowledge that at least her own presence seemed not to send her into a panicked state.

That was the odd thing, really. It seemed like the fever had liberated some inner fear of Tenshi's, a fear that drove her down into a dark pit of frenzied panic, a fear she seemed to hold only for certain members of the Akatsuki. Akuma must have known that, which was why she put Konan in charge of looking after her friend. What had happened must have been the 'very bad thing' Akuma had warned Konan about.

The front door opened and closed with a muffled bang. Akuma strode in and dumped her bag down before racing upstairs to Tenshi's room. She opened the door violently and rushed to Tenshi's side. She was breathing heavily, so Konan thought that she must have run to get here.

"What happened? It happened, didn't it?"

"Yes." Konan said simply, silently, looking down at the unconscious Tenshi and away from Akuma's distraught eyes.

Akuma's lower lip trembled and she bit down on it fiercely. Konan sighed deeply.

"Akuma, I have a question for you."

"What?"

"There's a reason you are here, isn't there?"

"What do you mean?" Akuma wrung out a clean cloth and placed it on Tenshi's forehead. She was still running a high fever.

"I heard about the reason behind your living arrangement. What struck me as strange is that Tenshi is obviously ill. She is on anti-anxiety medication, which is highly addictive; she has panic attacks, fits of anger, is prone to excessive violence, and now suffers from fever coupled with paranoia and hallucinations. Judging by how you reacted to this, asking me to watch over her, this has happened before. My question is why would parents with a sick child take a three month long vacation?"

"Isn't 'excessive violence' a little . . . excessive a term?" she answered distractedly.

"Attacking someone with a knife in a fit of anger is not normal behavior for a non-shinobi sixteen year old girl. Now answer my question. Please."

Akuma stood very still, still chewing on her bottom lip, face cast down, away from Konan's serious gray eyes. Her gaze shifted from side to side, trying to avoid them, but the Kunoichi was unwavering. Akuma shifted her weight from one side to the other as she tugged on her jacket.

Finally, she broke.

"Angel's parent's . . . they couldn't deal." she whispered, before continuing in a stronger voice. "They can't help her. When she gets like this . . . with the fever and all, even _they_ look like the enemy to her. They can't touch her, either, that'll make her panic. She used to skip school all the time because she couldn't stand the crowd, and when she went, got into nasty fights. Beat up kids so badly . . . She overdosed on her meds more than once, and her parents had to rush her to the hospital. She also had to be sent to the psych ward because of psychotic breaks, like the one she had today. They sent her to a bunch of psychiatrists, but she wouldn't talk. She doesn't talk to anybody, really, she just bottles it up till she can't stand it anymore, and that's when the fever comes and she . . . just . . . breaks. Like today. Her parents couldn't handle it, so they needed to . . . get away for a while. But they couldn't leave her, because she needs to be watched. So, I volunteered. I always come over anyway, because I'm the only person she allows close to her. My parents also took this opportunity to take a vacation of their own, so . . ." she shrugged. "It worked out."

"Does she know about this? About why they're gone?"

"No. And you can't tell her, either. How do you think she'll feel if she knows her own parents can't stand to be around her? She may have problems, but she's not heartless."

"Why doesn't she get help?"

"I don't know. Her parents have given up, because Angel has given up. She knows no one can help her, but I don't know why she knows it. The drugs make it a little easier."

There was silence, broken only by the slight sounds of Tenshi's soft, slow breathing.

Konan mulled over these facts in her head, and her guilt took a little jump forward. This could have been avoided, if only she'd known that Tenshi needed to be watched that closely. This whole episode, the psychotic break, had been her fault, really. Even though Deidara had been the trigger, there was no way he could have known. She, however, had been warned. She should have paid more attention, taken Akuma's warning more seriously.

"I'm sorry." she said softly.

"It's not your fault. I shouldn't have gone to school; I should have stayed her instead of relying on you." She smiled, a little weakly. "It's my job to look after her right now."

"I will have to tell Pein." she said, even though it hurt her to have to betray Akuma's confidence. Nagato came before anything.

"As long as you don't tell any of the others, it should be fine." Something crossed her mind and her face was struck with sudden fear. "What if he decides to kill her?"

"I won't let that happen," Konan said fervently. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he does not consider that option. Tenshi has allowed us to live under her own roof, and it would be poor repayment if we turned around and killed her in cold blood."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. You have my word. However, Pein will need assurance that Tenshi will not threaten our organization. She has already tried to kill us once, and seeing her mental status, I doubt she would hesitate to do it again."

"I understand. I'll talk to her."

"Good. Then it's a promise." Konan held out her hand, and Akuma took it.

"We promise to keep our crazy friends off of each other's throats." Akuma suddenly laughed. "This is not something I ever thought I'd be doing! I'm making a promise with a fictional character!" Konan chuckled as well.

"I have to go speak with Pein." She stood up. "You stay and watch Tenshi. I'll bring you something to snack on later."

"Thanks. I'll have a word with Tenshi when she wakes up."

They both smiled, as a sort of bond was forged between the two. A hyperactive teenager and a stoic, level-headed kunoichi from another dimension, two beings which never should have met, yet which some bizarre twist of fate had decided they would. It was a strange bond, but a bond nonetheless.

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><p>Konan padded silently to Pein's room, where he was working tirelessly, only vaguely aware of the crisis that had occurred nearby.<p>

"Nagato," she said. "I need to speak with you." He continued scribbling. She raised an eyebrow, and continued with an annoyed tone of voice. "This is important." There was no reaction. She raised her voice. "Nagato!"

He jumped slightly and turned around.

"What is it?"

"It's about Tenshi. I assume Itachi reported to you about today's events?"

"He did."

"I need you to promise me that Tenshi's life will be spared."

"I have no reason to keep my organization from killing her after we no longer need her. I have already told Hidan that he would be free to do as he sees fit once we have found a way back. Besides, she is dangerous."

"You have a reason. I am asking you not to kill her."

"Why?"

"Because we owe her. For the shelter, the food, for sparing our lives. We may be outlaws, but we are not without a sense of honor."

"Honor has no meaning. All that matters is our goal, the achievement of world peace."

"Does that mean discarding those that are no longer of any use to us, like trash?"

He paused. Konan, sensing her advantage, continued.

"She is of no threat to us, even if she lives. She is not part of our world; she will not influence our plans one way or the other. Killing her would be cruel and unnecessary, especially given that she has been of much help to us, despite knowing that we are a criminal organization and that we could kill her at any given moment. She has been valuable, and is of no threat. There is no need to kill her."

"You are wrong. She may very well kill us in our sleep, due to this . . . curse. All she would have to do is find a way to splash us all with cold water, and we would be helpless."

"I can guarantee that she won't. I have asked Akuma to convince her to not make any attempts on our lives. Since she has already dissuaded her once, it is safe to say she can do so again."

Pein sat pondering Konan's words. She made a good point. Tenshi would never be in a position to threaten their plans, since this was a different world. And now that he thought about it, the idea that a mere child like her could kill his entire organization of S-ranked criminals by herself was . . . ludicrous. Laughable. The fact that she was so unreadable was cause for concern, but he might have overreacted due to their current situation. A different world, a strange curse, it was no wonder he and his organization had overestimated the amount of damage Tenshi could do. He still needed to keep her appeased, but considering Konan's argument, she was right; there was no need to kill her. At least, if she didn't make the first move.

"Fine." Pein said. "Tenshi and Akuma will both be spared."

Konan smiled slightly and bounced over to Pein's desk. She planted a small kiss on his cheek before skipping out, light and graceful as a butterfly.

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><p>Akuma sat on the chair next to Tenshi. She had just finished explaining the promise she had made with Konan, right after Tenshi had woken up. Thankfully, the fever had broken and Tenshi, though still weak, was feeling better.<p>

"So . . . are you positive I won't get my head chopped off?" Tenshi said with suspicious dripping from her words like bitter honey.

Akuma nodded vigorously. "Konan promised, and I know you trust Konan."

"I see. You're right," she said, suddenly surprised. "I guess I do trust Konan. Isn't that funny? Well, I guess I don't really have a choice. I'll do my best to keep myself from murdering them in their sleep. As long as I can defend myself, or clobber them if they piss me off . . ."

"That should be fine. You should sleep now. You're still really weak, and the whole getting up and running through the streets thing didn't help."

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><p>"What did he say?" Akuma anxiously asked Konan. They were standing in the hall, while Pein spoke to his gathered organization.<p>

"He said yes. Both yours and Tenshi's lives will be spared."

"That's great!" Akuma smiled broadly. "Thank you so much!" She suddenly hugged the kunoichi tightly. Konan returned the hug, rather awkwardly.

When Akuma drew away, she was still beaming.

"You know what I just thought off?" Akuma said as she went back to Tenshi's room, just before opening the door. "This is either the worst, or the best place the Akatsuki could have ended up. The funny thing is, I have no idea which one."

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><p>Review! By the way, Thunder Krystal, even though you said you didn't mind of your OC wasn't in this story, you ended up giving the 100th review. If you want your OC in this, send me a PM. If not, ignore this.<p>

Well, its freakishly late in my time zone, so I should say _bonne nuit. Je vous adore tous._

Peace out.


	20. Reconnection

I'm actually updating fast this time around. Amazing. Well, this a bit of a filler chapter, really.

Thanks to all the reviews! I'm very happy with you all.

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><p>I curled up under the covers, burrowing as deep as I could. My head ached so badly that I wanted nothing more than to black out and not feel anything anymore. I was also afraid to step out of my room, afraid that more visions would press themselves on me again. I could still feel the burn on my arm, the warm blood flowing through my fingers like thick water, and the terror of someone chasing me. I couldn't fall asleep, I was far too scared for that. Dreams were poisonous, for anything could happen in them, even the most ghastly things that sent shivers down my spine just to think about them.<p>

So all I could do was stay here, away from the light.

I stayed there for some time. Hours, days, who knows? Time always got completely skewered in these situations. I didn't eat, sleep, or move an inch.

Eventually, the terror faded along with the throbbing pain in my head and I crawled out like an insect from under the covers, blinking painfully in the dazzling light. There was no one. I gulped down a glass of water that had been sitting on my night table and gathered some clothes.

I was back half an hour later, hair dripping wet from the refreshing shower. In the mirror Akuma had brought with her, I could see my face: eyes a little wide with large circles under them, pale and sickly looking skin. I turned away and tentatively tiptoed downstairs, wincing at the creaking my steps made. There wasn't a sound.

I made my way to the living room. I stopped in my tracks, gaping at the horror in front of me.

Pizza boxes. Empty soda cans. Crumbs all over the couch. Empty candy wrappers. Junk, junk, junk, spread out over my pristine living room like a tidal wave of crap. I rushed to my kitchen. A disaster area. Burnt food, dishes in the sink (moldy, of course), filthy pots and pans, food stains on the counters, floor, refrigerator door, the latter filled with more junk food. Fruit rotted in the fruit basket, drawing flies and filling the room with a sickly sweet smell.

I walked back into the living room like a zombie, and it had nothing to do with me being sick. Inside of me, a fiery wall of anger rose and pushed back the terror. Blood flowed back into my sallow cheeks, pumped through my body.

I was back online. And I was _pissed_.

I waited till they came back, leaning against the french windows, in the gloom. They came tromping into my house, dragging mud and water (it was raining). Akuma laughed at something one of them had said as she walked into the living room and put several bags of takeout food on the already overloaded coffee table, pushing wrappers onto the floor.

Kisame took hold of the remote, before giving it up under Itachi's killing glare. Hidan went into the kitchen and came back with a can of coke, flipping off Deidara when the blonde asked him 'couldn't you have brought back the whole box, hm?' Oh, that annoying verbal tick . . .

Kakuzu opened up a book on finances, growling at the feuding pair to 'Be quiet, or I will rip out your hearts and feed them to Zetsu in a pie' to which Hidan screeched 'Try it you motherfucking son of a bitch, the might of Jashin will smite you and your five fucking hearts!' Deidara put in his two cents with a fairly standard 'I'll blow you into a thousand bloody pieces, hm! You'll be raining all over the place like confetti!' The fight got under way when Itachi tried to intervene, which prompted the insane pyromaniac bomber and the equally insane sadomasochistic priest to include the Uchiha in their increasingly graphic threats. Soon, Kisame was entangled as well, and the whole thing was supervised by Sasori's empty glares, the puppet master looking his usual catatonic self. Konan took this opportunity to turn on the television to a rerun of Doctor Who and watch it unhindered. Akuma joined her happily with only a passing glance at the five-way shouting (and glaring) match that was threatening to turn physical.

I'd seen enough.

"He hem,"

The entire room froze. Their eyes pivoted my way and widened all at once. The only noise was the opening song of Doctor Who, a rather ominous sound in the present situation. No one spoke. No one dared break the silence. Until someone did.

"Hey, Tenshi, you're all better!" that was Kisame's line, accompanied by a gruff, awkward laugh. "We . . . we were just . . ."

"Stop talking." I snapped. He stopped talking. "How long have I been out?" No one answered. "Akuma."

"A week." she said in a timid little voice.

"I see. A personal record. So I'm away for only a week, and my house turns into some kind of bachelor pad? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

They flinched (except Itachi and Sasori. Okay, maybe Sasori a little).

"MY HOUSE! MY KITCHEN! A MESS! A FREAKING MURDER SCENE! DISGUSTING FOOD AND CRAP ALL OVER THE PLACE! Je ne suis pas la pour une, petite, semaine, et vous massacrez ma maison? C'est quoi votre putain de problème? Vous allez nettoyez tout ça! MAINTENANT! Avant que je m'énerve! Si ce n'est pas propre dans une demi-heure, je vais vous transformer en chats et vous laisser dehors a pourrir misérablement sous la pluie, et je m'en fiche de ce que Pein en pense! Vous pouvez fouiller dans les poubelles pour manger, si ça vous chante, mais chez pas chez moi! Non, non, non, pas chez moi!" (1)

I stopped to catch my breath, and also because my throat was sore.

"Guys," Akuma said. "She's telling us to clean up."

Nobody felt like arguing, except Hidan, who was promptly tackled by Kakuzu, Deidara and Hidan even before he opened his mouth. They hauled his ass away, muffled screams coming from behind Deidara's hand, arms and legs pinned to his sides by Kakuzu's tentacles. The front door was opened, and he was pitched out head first. A large poof was heard, and a very angry and very wet kitten zoomed back into the house, meowing and hissing.

They got on with cleaning. I'll spare you the details, but they worked incredibly fast under the force of my glare. I hadn't moved from my spot, and I didn't need to.

It took them half an hour exactly. Akuma put away the vacuum cleaner and stood back as I inspected their work. Much better.

I took my seat in my chair and let out a content sigh. Just like that everything was back to normal.

Konan was able to snatch the remote up before Kisame, and, as Itachi's glare did not work on her, was able to resume watching her show. I joined in as well, so did Akuma (cuddling the silver kitten and rubbing his tummy as he lay sprawled on his back-I took a picture), Kisame, Itachi, Sasori, taking up his spot, leaning against the front of my chair, Kakuzu, who put down his book on finances with much regret, and finally Deidara, who occupied the spot on the couch closest to my chair. He stared at me with that look of his, that intense, burning, contemplating look, like he was examining every inch of me and couldn't find what he wanted to see. I had no idea why he was looking at me like that. It was unnerving, a bit scary, but not creepy, strangely enough. I did my best to ignore him and he eventually turned away.

Akuma distributed the takeout food between all of us. She even turned Hidan back and stared at his shirtless figure during the whole meal, drooling slightly, which drew a self-satisfied smirk from him. Pein came down to claim his share, nonchalant, dignified, and ended up staying at Konan's insistence. He kicked Deidara off the couch, so blondie ended up on the floor, glaring at us the couch-masters with scarcely concealed resentment. I took pity on him and tossed him a pillow. My chair was big enough to accommodate two people, actually, but I didn't pity him quite _that_ much.

All together we watched Doctor Who and ate bad takeout and junk food until late at night. Surrounded by all those figures that had once caused me such terror, I felt oddly peaceful. The only light came from the screen, but the room was full of laughing and talking and angry shushing and whispered threats immediately quelled by Pein's glare, all into a strange hum that buzzed around the room. The noise, instead of making my head ache, seemed to lull me into a calm state.

My eyes felt heavy, and fatigue took over me for the first time in a very long time. I fell asleep, peacefully, and I didn't have any nightmares.

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><p>(1) "I'm not here for one, little, week, and you massacre my house? What the hell's your problem? You are going to clean all of this up! NOW! Before I get angry! If it's not clean in half an hour, I'll change you all into cats and leave you outside to rot miserably under the rain, and I don't give a damn what Pein thinks about it! You can gp through garbage to eat for all I care, but not in my house! No, no, no, not in my house!"<p>

Review!

Peace out.


	21. Puppets and Repercussions

A pretty long chapter, this time around. I'm doing a lot of character development on her, because I actually really like how she's turning out. This chapter is a little rushed, because its really late, but I hope I managed to make it good. This is a fairly important bit to understand Tenshi.

Review!

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><p>When I woke up, I was still in my chair, covered with a thick blanket and with sunlight streaming over my closed eyes like a blinding ray of gold. My body felt stiff from being in the same position all night, and I stretched like a cat, one muscle at a time.<p>

"Good morning!" I was greeted by Akuma's cheerful whisper. I turned to see why she was so quiet, and nearly burst out laughing.

The Akatsuki had fallen asleep, much as I had, on the couch and floor. Akuma had taken this brilliant opportunity to mess with them. Next to her she had brushes, combs, hair ties, hair gel, curling iron, temporary hair dye (the kind that you simply spray on) and was currently playing hairdresser. First, she had made Hidan's hair pink, and had gelled it into the shape of a neat cone, all pointy and smooth, the point situated exactly at the middle of his skull. Next, Kisame had had his gray hair gathered into plenty of tiny bunches held with frilly hair ties and ribbons. Konan's hair had been tied into a simple ponytail, with her front bangs dyed light blue. Her hairstyle actually looked good, but then Akuma really liked Konan.

Some members had been spared: Kakuzu, because of his violent temper, Pein, for obvious reasons, and Sasori, because Akuma couldn't get him to sit still long enough. He looked over the whole process with a seemingly impassive face, a smile twitching at his lip.

Itachi's hairstyle was downright comical. The two long pieces that framed his face had been fashioned into horns with a copious amount of gel, and the rest had been tied into two high ponytails on either side of his head. The effect was . . . oh god, I nearly burst out laughing, but stuffed my fist in my mouth when Akuma shushed me, my cheeks turning red. She joined me and we laughed silently together for at least five minutes. Sasori gave us a scathing look and padded off in the manner of a disgruntled cat.

Akuma beckoned me closer and whispered in my ear,

"I was waiting for you to wake up, so I didn't do Deidara's hair yet." she snickered evilly. "Any ideas?"

I considered for a moment, and then my eyes fell on the curling iron.

Ten minutes later, Deidara's long, blond hair (that was silky soft, might I add) was beautifully curled. We sat back and admired our work. Damn, those ninjas can sleep tight.

"How do waffles sound?" I asked her.

"Great!"

I cooked, and as she was eating the first one, we heard the sound of Hidan's howling laughter, followed by angry yelling, storming footsteps up the stairs and towards us. We shared a look, and ran.

"AKUMA!" Hidan roared as he charged into the living room. She stopped running and faced him head on with a little cutesy smile and sparkling eyes.

"Yes?" she said sweetly. He was put off by her demeanor, and anger seemed to flow out of him like a deflated balloon.

"What did you do to my hair?" he growled.

"I just had a little fun, don't worry, it'll come out!"

"That's not the fucking point!"

"But you look so funny like that!"

"Listen you . . ."

She jumped on him and ruffled his hair.

"You're cute." she said, and fluttered back to her syrup soaked waffles. I sat down next to her, an eye on Hidan, who was standing there, in shock.

"How did you . . ."

"Tenshi, my friend, did you really think you were the only one who could handle these guys?"

"Well . . . _yeah_."

She simply smiled.

Later on, after Akuma had apologized (and secretly regretted not taking pictures), and the guys had fought over the shower, Itachi having won of course, we just sort of lazed around all day. It was Sunday, after all, and I felt no need to do whatever homework I might have had. Kisame insisted on putting his soap opera on, but we all glared at him and Akuma, Deidara, and Hidan all jumped on him and wrestled the remote away, entrusting it to Konan, who turned in on to the news channel.

It was while I was letting my mind wander than my eyes fell on Akuma. More specifically, to a bruise on her wrist.

"Hey Akuma, where'd you get that?" I said. I wouldn't have gotten suspicious, but Akuma really was a horrible liar sometimes. Her face flushed, her fingers got all twitchy, and she couldn't look me in the eye. I just knew something was wrong, and I had a sneaking suspicion of what exactly it was.

"Hum . . . nothing, I just . . . hit my wrist during gymnastics practice, no big deal!" Her smile was painfully forced.

"I see."

I pretended to drop the matter and she immediately went back to normal. Making sure she was engrossed in whatever was playing at the moment, I snuck off to my room. Once there, I searched Akuma's bag and took her cellphone. Her background picture was a photo of her and me, taken without my knowledge. It was weird to see my own face while I wasn't posing; but no matter. I went through her contact, and gave Yuri a call.

I sat on the floor, my back against the wall, and waited for her to pick up. It didn't take long.

"Dawn? Dawn, are you alright?" her breathing was heavy, as if she'd run to the phone. "You haven't been to school since those girl . . . well, you know, since they . . . well, they moved on to others, me, Leila, Jason, Susan, even Max and Julie! Dawn, are you there? Hello?"

"Hello, Yuri. This is Angel." There was silence. "Hello?"

"Is there any chance you didn't hear any of that?" she said in a very small voice.

"Nope."

"I'm sorry!" she burst out, nearly yelling. "But Dawn said not to tell you, and we're all really, really worried, and those girls are taking over the school, and I'm really scared, and I don't _want_ to go to school tomorrow, 'cause she has this big brother who's really scary and all, but I have to, we have this competition coming up, and, and, and, and . . ."

"Yuri. Stop talking."

"Yes," she squeaked.

"Is it the same girls from before? Answer."

"Yes,"

"Did they hurt Dawn?"

Suddenly, she went very quiet. "Yuri? Answer me. All I need is a yes, and this will all go away. Just answer me."

I could tell she was hesitating. I _hate_ it when they keep their mouths shut!

Finally, she broke down. "Yes. What are you going to do?"

"I need information, first."

"I can help with that." there was the sound of a computer booting up and fingers drumming on a keyboard. It went on for about two minutes.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm . . . hacking into the school's database."

"Huh. Did I know you could do that? Ah, never mind, just tell me."

"Okay, first, Rebecca Blake. She's the leader, so I'm guessing she'll be the first you'll go after? She's sixteen, does not have a criminal record, but oh, her brother does. Assault and drug possession. Before moving here, her and her brother lived in Los Angeles, and went to Jean Morom High school."

"Wait. They went to J-M?" My attention perked up.

"Yeah, so did the other two, Sarah Johnson and Kelly Marks. They've been in the same class since middle school."

"The brother, what's his name?"

"Hum . . . Rick Blake. He's a senior, but he doesn't go to class very often."

"I see." My blood was thundering through my veins. Who would have thought old Rick would be in town? "Anything else? I need to know Rebecca's schedule."

"She stays late on Monday for gym practice. Can you believe she actually joined our team? She's not even that good!"

"Okay. Yuri, can you get everyone out of the school after practice?"

"Sure. No one will be in the school, I promise. What are you going to do?"

"Reaffirm my reputation. Thanks for the info. You'll just have to bear with them for a day."

"What about her brother? He's beaten up a couple of guys already."

"Don't worry about that."

"Okay . . . just be careful, Angel."

I snapped the cellphone shut. The room had gotten dark while I was talking, and rain started to pour heavily outside. Lighting and thunder followed each other like two beast, illuminating the dark room in random intervals. I went to my closet, and rummaged through it, tossing clothes aside, pushing boxes filled with junk, till I found what I was looking for. A small, heavy pouch, comforting to hold.

Dawn would be so angry . . .

* * *

><p>The next morning, Akuma didn't go to school, claiming she wasn't feeling well. I didn't say anything about it, just waited around all day. The Akatsuki didn't bug me, although Deidara kept glancing at me with that look of his, as if he knew something was wrong. I ignored him. I just did not have time to deal with right now.<p>

When the time came, I snuck out of the house and to my car.

"Where are you going?" I nearly jumped out of my skin in fright. Standing under the rain, was Sasori.

"You caught me, eh?"

"I've been watching you all day. Something is wrong."

"Yes. But I'm going to fix it now, so it won't be wrong anymore."

"Why are you obsessed with doing these things? Just because you can fix whatever's wrong around you doesn't mean you can fix yourself."

I gritted my teeth in anger while her just stared at me with that stoned look. It made me so angry, that I wanted to take that wooden head and smash it into the ground

"Don't you think I know that?" I yelled.

"Then why bother? Why don't you just give up? Stop caring, rid yourself of all emotion? Become . . ."

"A puppet, like you?"

"If you only live for someone else's sake, then you are no better than us ninja. A tool. A puppet, indeed. I live for my art, the eternal beauty of something that will never wither."

"There's nothing wrong with living for someone or something besides yourself!"

"But if you live only for someone else, then what's the point of being in pain, or frightened all the time? What about your own sake, your own life? If you don't care about yourself, then it would be better to cast aside all that makes you you. At the very least, it would be more efficient."

I couldn't answer. Because I knew he was right, and I hated him for it. I was only living for Dawn's sake, really. I didn't care about my own well-being, my future, hardly anything. But it was so hard going through life like this that maybe it would be better to cast everything aside and become a shell devoid of emotion.

"You know, I might do it, if it were possible. But I'm human, so I have to live my life everyday with this pain, this fear. It doesn't matter if this world makes me sick, if all I want to do is crawl into a hole and die; as long as she's around, I have to keep going, no matter what. But you're right. Becoming a puppet would be . . . efficient."

"So you're going? What for?"

"For Dawn's sake. And also . . . there is this one thing that still makes me feel alive. She hates it, so usually I can't do it, but just this time . . . I'm going to feel like I'm still alive. So I guess it's also for my sake, even if only a little. I'm not totally a puppet."

He nodded. "You'd make a remarkable shinobi. Come back to me as fast as you can. I don't like to be kept waiting."

I smiled slightly and did not answer.

He watched as I drove away, the little pouch resting on my lap, rainwater dripping down the seat.

Becoming a puppet . . . well, I suppose I was already halfway there.

* * *

><p>I waited in the car in the school's parking lot to make sure no one was around. I put some music on. Muse. It was raining hard outside, pounding against the roof and nearly drowning out the song. It was so dark, but there was a flash of thunder and growl of lightning that snarled like a detestable beast.<p>

I felt strangely empty. The anger, the hate, all that was tightly wound up in a little ball, small and heavy, drawing everything in it like a black hole, till I felt nothing else.

I got out of the car door, not bothering to take my jacket. The rain quickly soaked my red-streaked hair, ran down my face and neck in ice-cold rivers, and drenched my black shirt as I walked across the empty parking lot, heavy leather boots splashing in the mirror-like puddles. I caught a glimpse of my face in them as I passed. Chalk-white, mouth drawn tight, features blank.

I walked into the school, dripping water onto the clean floor. I shook my head, spraying droplets everywhere. The red dye in my hair seemed to stand out starkly, like streaks of blood.

She was in the hall, placing books in her locker, alone. Everyone else had gone home for the day, just as Yuri had promised. I approached, boots clacking loudly on the floor, fists clenched. I was so close now I could smell her slight perfume; see her shock as she turned towards me, the slight parting of her rosy lips as she began to speak.

I grabbed her hair and slammed her face into the locker.

She cried out and struggled. I kicked her in the back of her knee and she crumpled to the ground. In a flash I was on her. With one hand I pinned her arm behind her back, and with the other I kept a firm hold on her hair.

"What are you doing, you crazy bitch, let me go!" she cried.

"Do you even need to ask? I told you to listen to the rumors, didn't I?" My face contorted with a grim, humorless smirk and my eyes grew wide. "Mess with Dawn, and you have me to answer to."

"You don't have any proof . . ."She cried out once for as I twisted her arm.

"You don't get it, do you? _I don't care_. It could be one of your friends, it could be you, or it could just be someone you know, but you're the one I want to hurt. Dawn gets hurt, and you pay." The grin stayed fixed on my face.

"What kind of sick psycho are you? Let me go! Let me _go_!"

"I didn't _want_ to do this, you know. Dawn hates it when I go back to acting like this, but I really can't help it. I get angry and I just want to seriously hurt someone, it's a compulsion, ya know? Back in LA I could fight as much as I wanted, give in to every impulse, and it felt so damn _good_. But now, I can't, because Dawn gets scared when I do, but in this case, I'm just so fucking _pissed off _I really want to beat you black and blue."

She stared up at me with wide panicked eyes. She struggled and screamed, but I slammed her head against the floor. Blood spattered all over the place and a sickening crack was heard.

My grin widened.

"I know you!" she gasped. "Back in LA, at the school, they called you . . ."

"Oh, you heard about me? You were in LA before, weren't you, in the same school? Ya know, I kind of miss the old gang. How's your brother? He and I used to be friends. We fought together, he's not half bad. Now, let's get down to business."

I let go of her hair and arm, but she was trembling so much she could hardly move. I took out the contents of the pouch with a shiver. A pair of brass knuckles. I'd been such a long time since I'd used them, so they were slightly rusty.

I glared down at her. Her eyes were terrified, and her blood stood out starkly over her sheet-white face. The adrenaline in my blood thundering through my veins, my heart racing in my chest, each nerve on fire and each muscle tensed up and ready to react, my body felt light as a feather and my mind was so clear I could _think _so perfectly easily and lighting fast, as if time itself was slowing down. Out of my usual stupor, I was alive, perfectly and wonderfully alive, unafraid of anything, not even pain. This was my drug. The thrill of the fight.

* * *

><p>I walked out of the school. There was blood on my hands. My knuckles mere skinned, I had scratches and bruises from when she's fought back. Somewhere in a lost corner of my mind I knew that doing this was wrong. But since a long time ago, I'd figured out that I didn't care. I'd do nearly anything to experience that thrill again, that rush. But Dawn hated it. And I loved Dawn more than anything else in the world, myself included. Sometimes, the two opposite desires, to protect her and give in to the rush, happened to coincide. That's all.<p>

I got back into my car, and drove away. I stopped at a pay phone and called an ambulance. I took the time to wash my hands in a nearby puddle, the blood mingling with the red of my reflection's hair, so that I could not tell which was which.

I stayed there for a long time.

* * *

><p>I will be introducing a new OC either in the next chapter or the one after. Hopefully she'll be an interesting addition!<p>

Review!

Peace out.


	22. Displeasure

I got a bunch of really nice for the last chapter! That really makes me happy. Sorry, this chapter is really rushed, but I wanted to get it written as soon as possible. The new OC is scheduled to appear in the next chapter.

Enjoy and review!

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><p>When I drove back, Sasori was waiting for me, leaning against the door. He didn't move an inch, he didn't breathe, and he didn't shiver from the cold. I was struck by the fact that he was essentially made of wood. It was easy to forget that as he was so lifelike. His face was fully capable of expressing emotions, though he most likely felt practically none.<p>

He stared at me, irritated, with a frown and slight twist of his lips. Displeasure. That was the word. Displeasure.

"You made me wait." he said.

"Sorry."

"I don't like to be kept waiting."

"I know." I stood out in the rain, soaked to the skin, feeling hollow. He stared at me with that expression. Neither one of us moved. I don't know what either of us was waiting for. But we were waiting all the same. Wind howled in a violent gust, sending a chill down my wet skin.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked suddenly.

"I suppose."

He opened the door and went inside. I followed. The door closed behind me with a bang, and it was suddenly very quiet. The sound of the rain and wind seemed far away, but I still shivered as water dripped on the floor. Sasori was gone. I think he was upset with me. After all, I'd made him wait.

I kicked off my shoes and hung up my jacket. I needed a shower, before I caught a cold. Akuma was in the living room, I could hear her laughing. It seemed like she hadn't noticed I was gone.

I snuck upstairs, gathered some dry clothes, and took a scalding hot shower. I turned the water on as hot as it would go, till my skin was red and painful, but I couldn't stop shivering. Finally, I gave up, stepped out, and got dressed. The steam covered the mirror, so that I couldn't see myself at all.

When I stepped out, Sasori was waiting in the hallway. He gave me a sideways look and said nothing. I decided to ignore him, so I swept past him and headed downstairs. I don't think he liked that. He followed me down and into the living room. Checking the clock, I saw that I'd been gone for over two hours. I wondered why Akuma hadn't noticed my absence, but the answer came to me when I saw that she was showing Kakuzu episodes of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. It must have been wildly entertaining to watch him watch that.

"Can we watch something else?" whined Hidan.

"Shut up." growled Kakuzu, eyes fixed on the screen.

"I would like to watch the evening news." said Konan.

"My soap opera is on in fifteen minutes!" That came from Kisame. "Itachi! Help me out here!"

"I'm sorry. There is a documentary on weasels I would like to watch."

It went on like that for a while. The noise was irritating. I grabbed the remote and switched it to a random station. It turned out in Konan's favor: the local evening news.

I kicked Hidan out of my chair, lacking the energy to yell at him, took my seat and closed my eyes. I zoned out, ignoring the two stares coming my way. Then, the lady in the network came out with a breaking news story.

"Late this afternoon in Clairsville, a high school student was brutally assaulted at James Richard Private School. The student, a sixteen year old girl who had recently transferred to the school, was found in the hallway, beaten with what authorities believe were brass knuckles. An ambulance was called at five thirty PM from a payphone. The identity of the caller is unknown. The victim was transported quickly to the nearest hospital, where she was treated for a broken arm, a mild concussion, a broken nose, and other wounds suffered from blunt force. She is reportedly in stable condition. The police believes the assault to be gang-related, as the victim's brother is reportedly affiliated with a Los Angeles gang. This is all the information available at the moment. Residents of the area should not be worried, though the attacker is still at large. Moving on to our next story . . ."

Akuma stood abruptly, strode over to where I was sitting, and slapped me across the face.

The guys were too shocked to react. I stood, my hand going to my stinging cheek. Dawn's eyes were full of tears of rage. I'd rarely seen her so angry.

"What did you do?" she yelled. "What in the _world_ did you _do_?"

"How do you even know that was me?"

"Oh, please! Who else do you know in this god-forsaken town that owns _brass knuckles_? I thought you got rid of those! I told you to get rid of them!"

"Is that all the proof you've got?"

"That's all the proof I need! What on earth possessed you to beat up Rebecca Blake?"

"You know exactly why. I called Yuri."

Her face sort of crumbled. She sat down heavily and started to cry.

There was silence. Konan turned off the TV, so the only sounds were those of the rain and of Dawn's sobbing.

Finally she ran up to my room, still crying.

"So that's what you did, hm?"

"Shut it."

"You beat up someone? That girl on the news?"

"Shut it."

"That's pretty gutsy. So you really like fighting, hm. Did you like getting blood on your hands?"

"Deidara, if you don't shut up, I am going to cut off all of your pink, wriggly tongues and shove them down your throat till you choke."

"You wanna fight?" He stood with a wide grin.

"I told you to . . ."

"Brat. Shut up." said Sasori. Deidara shot him an astonished glance.

"Why are you on her side, hm?"

"I am on no one's side. I happen to find your yapping particularly annoying. Now shut your mouth, before I shut it for you."

He shut up and sat down with a disgruntled look. No one was moving, so the atmosphere was particularly stifling. I saw Kisame giving Itachi an awkward look, and Hidan looked like he was about to burst.

"I can't fucking take this anymore!" Oh, what a surprise. "Whatever you did, bitch, you'd better fucking fix it before I lose my motherfucking mind!"

"I did. There was a problem at school, and I fixed it."

"So? You made an even bigger mess over here! So fix it! And make me dinner, I'm fucking starving!"

"So _that's _your problem?" said Kakuzu. "Can't you stop thinking about your stomach for once?"

"No! I haven't eaten all day! If I don't get some food soon . . ."

"Hidan, go anywhere near my kitchen and I will mutilate you with a cheese grater."

"You're being creative with your threats today. Usually you just threaten to, you know . . ." Kisame said, shuddering.

"Why doesn't everybody shut up?" I moaned. "My head hurts."

"Will you be alright?" asked Sasori. This drew a suspicious look from Deidara.

"Yeah, I've done this before; she'll come around tomorrow morning. She is constitutionally incapable of staying mad for too long. It's just not in her character." My hand went to my cheek and I smiled wryly. "Though this is the first time she's actually hit me."

"Is that so?"

"It's fine. It was bound to happen sooner or later. She really hates it when I get violent."

Sasori nodded. While we were talking, Deidara was glaring back and forth at us, frowning, a new look on his face. Interestingly, I recognized it as . . . displeasure. He wasn't happy about something. He grew fidgety and annoyed. Finally he snapped up and stormed out of the room.

"What's with him?" said Kisame.

"Heck if I know." I said. We all heard a door slam.

The next morning, Akuma had forgiven me. She bounced downstairs, happy as hell, and strode into the living room. I found that this was highly suspicious. Sure, I expected to be forgiven, but I didn't expect her to be _this _cheerful.

I was in my chair, as usual. Itachi was reading my physics textbook, Kisame was playing with a rubix cube, and Sasori was in his usual spot next to my chair, reading as well. Kakuzu was shuffling cards on the dining room table, while Hidan was watching him with a dreadfully bored look on his face. Deidara hadn't shown up since last night, I assume he was still sulking; Konan and Pein were working together again. Zetsu was still off somewhere.

Akuma came in with this giant grin.

"Guess what? We're having a visitor!"

"A _what_?"

"A friend of mine needs a place to stay for a couple of weeks. I've offered her yours."

"You did _what_?"

"Her name," she went on smugly "Is Hikari Nakamura. She's having a sort of family crisis right now. She'll be coming around this afternoon."

"_You did what?_"

"You did something I hate. Now, I'm going to do something _you_ hate. Think of it as retribution. I am, after all, very displeased with you."

* * *

><p>I really hope you liked it. I feel like it wasn't my best work, but I wanted to update. Review!<p>

I bid you _bonne nuit_, as it is currently waaaay too late.

Peace out.


	23. Night time Conversation

Hey, sorry, I'm a little late. The new OC makes her first appearance in this chapter, though she doesn't have a major role yet. I wrote most of this chapter while feeling very, very tired, so it might have come out weird. I can't judge it properly right now, I am exhausted. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

><p>I drummed my fingers impatiently on the coffee table. I was alone in the living room, and my eyes were scanning the area with an unwavering, unpleased glare. There was dust everywhere. Dirt, too. And garbage. And water was seeping in from under the window. Since when had I cleaned this place?<p>

The Akatsuki were in their rooms. They would be introduced to the . . . newcomer later on. That would be interesting. I could just hope she wasn't an Akatsuki fangirl. I already had Akuma around, I didn't need a second one.

Akuma waltzed in, wearing a yellow shirt with a big fat smiley on it. I couldn't decide which was brighter, her shirt or the wide beaming smile on her face. Whichever, both were annoying.

"Wipe that smirk off your face." I snapped. "How do you even know this girl? Does she go to our school?"

Akuma sat down and crossed her slim legs.

"No, she lives in the town next to ours. I met her through Facebook."

"Facebook? _Online_? Are you crazy? Have you never even met her?"

"Oh, relax. I've been friends with her for years, she's really nice. Probably not your kind of nice, but nice nonetheless. She likes the Akatsuki, like me. Facebook really is great for meeting people. Not that _you_ would know."

"Facebook is evil."

"You would think so, wouldn't you? We're going to have to talk sooner or later."

"About what?"

"You know about what."

"No, I don't."

"You're lying."

"So did you. That bruise? You said it was nothing. You lied, so I lie, and we both can keep lying, and neither of us gets anywhere."

"Would you have done that . . ." I gave her a look, and she rolled her eyes. "Fine. Theoretically speaking, if I hadn't lied, would you have done what you might have done?"

"Theoretically, if you had told the truth and asked me not to do anything, I probably would have listened to you. But you lied. So, I lie. Give and take, two-way street, and we both end up playing games."

"So I shouldn't have lied?"

"No. You shouldn't have."

"But this is all theoretical, right?"

"Of course. Theoretical."

"I got this bruise during practice, and you have no idea who beat up Rebecca Blake. We just keep playing."

"And get nowhere."

"Right."

We sat in silence.

* * *

><p>The doorbell rang. I was in a rather sinister mood at the present moment, and wanted to crawl under my bed and stay there till whoever this person was left. But I didn't. I sat on the couch. Doing nothing.<p>

"Hey, Hikari! Nice to see you! How are you?"

"I'm great! Thanks for letting me stay here, I appreciate it."

"Come in! Here, let me help with your bags."

"Thanks!"

I heard the whole conversation from the living room. Soon, a young girl walked in, hair wet from the rain that still poured outside.

That was the moment I met Hikari Nakamura.

She had vivid, carmine red hair styled in a side ponytail and large, slightly slanted onyx black eyes. She wore a black, short sleeved hoodie with black chinos and white trainers. She was pretty tall, with an average build, not curvy but not thin as a stick, either. She smiled happily and waved at me.

I eyed her suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. Her smile turned from happy to uncomfortable.

"He –hey, I'm Hikari. You're Angel, right? Can I call you Tenshi?" She held out her hand. My eyebrow rose higher, and she quickly drew it back and gave a little wave. I suspect it was very awkward for her.

Akuma whispered something in her ear, and she nodded. I guess Akuma was telling her about my aversion to other people. Good, now she might leave me alone.

"Hikari, sit down. Do you want something to drink?"

"Hum . . . juice would be nice."

"Coming right up!"

Akuma left, and Hikari went over to sit on my chair. My chair.

"Not there." I snapped. She jumped. "That's my spot." I got up, sat in the chair and pointed to the couch I had just vacated. "Sit." I ordered.

She sat.

The clock tick tocked in the background. I watched the rain fall outside, feeling no need to fill the void left by the lack of social interaction in the room.

"Hum, Tenshi?"

"What?"

"Hum . . . Do you like anime?"

"I do."

"Do you like Naruto?" I turned my gaze towards her. She smiled.

"I do."

"Do you like the Akatsuki?" she said hopefully.

"No." Her smile vanished. I bet she was praying for Akuma to come back, _quick_.

She did. She deposited three glasses of apple juice-we have apple juice?- and a plate of cookie-again, where did those come from?- on the coffee table. And, they started chatting. That's when something occurred to me. If Hikari liked to Akatsuki, how would she react when she found out she was going to meet them in person? Ah, my life is complicated enough!

"Hey Hikari, guess what?" Oh, dear, god. "I have a surprise for you! How would you feel if I told you that you could meet the real live Akatsuki members right here, right now?"

"Like cosplay?"

"Think those fanfictions you always read."

"I'd be great, but those are fiction!"

"You're in for a surprise! I'll go . . ."

"I'll do it." I said. "If she freaks out and hugs all of them I'm staying in my room till she leaves." I stomped to the bottom of the stairs, and hollered.

"Oy! Get your asses down here!"

There was silence, and then they came filing down with a loud noise of footsteps that made my head ache. Sasori glanced at me as he passed, and Deidara glared at both of us, hm-ing indignantly. I felt like kicking him in the shin, for some reason.

I started on my way to the kitchen, sighing.

"Whoa, you guys are the best cosplayers I've ever seen."

I grabbed a knife from the drawer.

"Hikari, they're not cosplayers. They're real."

"What . . . no way!"

I walked into the living room, knife in hand. The Akatsuki were lined up, with Hikari standing with Akuma in front of them. It was quite crowded. I went up to Hidan and stabbed him in the chest.

"Ow, bitch! What the fuck!" He wrenched the knife out, dripping blood all over my floor. Man, that was never going to come off. At least it felt kind of good. I turned to Hikari, who was staring, mouth open, back and forth from me and Hidan.

"There you have it." I left, sat down on the staircase, and put my hands over my ears. Three, two, one . . .

"OH MY GOD!" I heard squealing, giggling, jumping up and down, and all that stuff. With a miserable sigh, I sulked off to my room.

* * *

><p>I stayed in my room for the rest of the day. I read a book on quantum physics; I listened to some music, and did a bit of my way overdue homework. When night came, Akuma knocked on my door to ask where Hikari would be sleeping. I directed both girls to Konan's room, and shut the door in her face. I felt like being alone right now.<p>

I'd forgotten to turn on the light, so the room was dark. It reminded me of the times before Akuma had moved in and the Akatsuki had crashed my house, when I used to stay at home alone. My parents would work late, so I would make my own dinners and watch TV on my own, and then go to bed in my room, in the dark. On my own.

It was still raining outside, as usual in this place. I didn't mind, since I liked the rain.

I went to sleep in my large bed, surrounded by my mound of pillows and stuffed animals, all warm and comfortable. And alone.

All night, I trashed and turned, sweating. I was having nightmares, for the first time in a long time. They were awful, recurring vision that frequently haunted my sleep, even though I could not bring myself to remember them. All I could recall from them was blood, screams, a dark room . . . I woke up with a muffled scream, breathing hard.

I often had nightmares before this whole thing. I always did the same thing, whenever I couldn't sleep.

I got up and prowled down the hall, still in my pajamas. I heard snoring coming from the attic. On my way to the stairs, I saw light coming from Deidara's room. I looked through the crack in the doorway. He was at my sister's desk, sketching something by the soft light of my sister's lava lamp. I watched him for a while, in a strange sort of trance, following the back and forth motion of his arm and the soft brushes of his hand against the paper. I could hear the pencil gliding across the surface, quiet, almost imperceptible. Deidara seemed to be the only one up. I peeked into the other rooms, and the guys were all asleep, quiet for once. Everything was so quiet at night . . . that was why it was so pleasant. There was no light, no sound, no colors, the world seemed strangely unreal, as if what I was touching was not quite there, in a sort of half-existence that felt beautiful.

Eventually I went downstairs, stepping softly to avoid making them creak, to avoid disturbing the night. I then went into the living room to stay the rest of the night curled up in my chair, staring out at the sky of velvet, till the dawn came and sent tendrils of light radiating throughout my precious darkness.

At least, that was the plan.

"What are you doing here?"

I jumped about a foot in the air. Sasori had pushed aside the couch, my chair, and the coffee table. He was sitting in the middle of the cleared space, his shirt off, a wide variety of tools spread over the floor, and his left arm in his lap.

"I should be asking you that." I said. I would have been irritated, but the strange stupor of the night had taken hold of me and my emotions were quiet, as if asleep.

"I need to make some repairs on my arm."

"I see." I said, shifting my eyes over the living room. It was a mess. "I hope you're planning on cleaning up."

"I am. Why are you up? Girls your age should be in bed."

"Couldn't sleep." I said shortly. I sat in front of him, my knees curled to my chest, my thin pajamas making me shiver slightly. He stared at me for a few seconds with apathetic eyes, then went back to dismantling his arm.

I watched him for a while, before he began to speak again. He seemed to have no regard for the sanctity of the night.

"Why can't you sleep?"

"I have nightmares."

"About what?"

"I never remember." I softly blinked. "Say, what's it like, being a puppet?"

I detected a flash of surprise in her impassive face, but he took it in stride.

"It is not a state of being you could understand. As a puppet, I feel nothing. You would not know what it is like to feel nothing, so do not try to understand."

"But that's not true. You feel irritation, anger, what else? I think you feel a lot more than you let on."

"How would _you_ know?" he snapped.

"Because you still have a human core. You're not a true puppet."

"How do you . . ."

"How do I know this? Simple, it has to do with the fact that in our world, you belong in a show. I know a lot."

"Would you like to try becoming a puppet?"

"I might, if I could, but I don't have chakra anyway. Didn't we have a similar conversation before?"

"We did."

"Ah." I was feeling sleepy. I yawned and rubbed my eyes. "That's weird. Talking to you is oddly . . . calming. I feel like going to sleep now."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah." I curled up in my chair, hugging my knees tightly to stay as warm as possible. He looked at me. "You can keep working, if you want. Don't worry about the furniture; I'll get it in the morning."

I closed my eyes and felt sleep take over me. Right before I sunk into slumber, I asked him something.

"Say, Red? Do you think, maybe, that I could . . ."

I fell asleep before I could finish, and never remembered.

* * *

><p>Review! I wonder if I'm concentrating too much on Deidara and Sasori. They seem to be the main characters in this story, along with Tenshi. I should probably try to include the others more. What do you think?<p>

_Bonne nuit._

Peace out._  
><em>


	24. Photographs

It's been a while, I know. I've had to start studying for my bac. I've also been thinking about where this story is going, and I think I have a clear idea for an ending and even an indirect sequel. I just need to decide how long I'm going to make this. I need enough time to really develop Tenshi's relationship with Deidara and Sasori, and I also need to give Hikari a role. I think I have a plan for her, actually.

That was a long AN, wasn't it?

Review!

* * *

><p>"I'm bored."<p>

"I know. That happens a lot around here." said Akuma, turning the page of her magazine. She and Hikari were lounging about on the huge bed in Tenshi's parent's room, with nothing to do. They'd taken this opportunity to hang out for the first time, since they'd only seen each other on Facebook and all. They'd chatted about random stuff well into the night, and Akuma was actually relieved. She'd gone so long without talking to anyone _normal_, it was a blessing to find out there was still a sane world out there. Dealing with both Tenshi and the Akatsuki was _hard_. Though the latter were definitely easy on the eye, that was for sure.

"Say, who's you favorite Akatsuki?" asked Hikari.

"I don't know . . . it used to be Itachi, but now that they're real . . . I don't know. Having them underfoot is different than seeing them on a screen."

"I still can't believe it. The actual Akatsuki? Living with you? This is exactly like one of those fanfictions. It's so awesome!"

"Yeah, but Tenshi doesn't think so. They piss her off, especially Deidara. He loves messing with her." Akuma sat up with a grin. "It's usually funny, except the time when she came after him a knife. That was scary." She shuddered.

A strange look came on Hikari's face. "Does Deidara . . . like her?"

Akuma thought about it for a minute, throwing a fluffy pillow up in the air. "I don't know . . . He sure likes teasing her, and he gets this weird look on his face when she gets close . . . hum, he might, but it doesn't matter either way."

"Why's that?" Hikari listened intently.

"'Cause I'm pretty sure she hates his guts. Deidara killed Gaara, remember? Plus, he really made her angry more than once. Besides, she seems pretty close to Sasori, oddly enough."

"So . . . you think I might have a chance?" Hikari said timidly. Akuma was surprised.

"Oh, that's what this is about! I really wouldn't advise it. They're going to leave eventually."

"I know . . ." her slightly sad look suddenly turned cheerful. "Anyway, it's morning! What's for breakfast?"

"I can get Tenshi to make pancakes!"

"Great!"

The two girls raced into Tenshi's room, and Akuma pounced on her bed.

"Hey! Wake up! Feed us!" It took her a moment to realize the bed was empty. "Oh, she had another nightmare . . ." Akuma's expression turned sad and worried.

"What?"

"Tenshi gets nightmares. They're really bad, so she often can't sleep. What time is it?"

Hikari checked the bedside clock, which was shaped like a large black cat. "Eight in the morning."

"Let's go. I guess we won't be getting pancakes after all."

They got dressed and headed downstairs. None of the Akatsuki were up yet, so Sasori was the only one there. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, reading a book. He looked up and glared at the girls as they came stomping down the stairs.

"Be quiet." he snapped in a hushed voice.

"Why . . ." then they caught sight of Tenshi, sleeping curled up in her chair, covered with a blanket so that she wouldn't be cold.

Akuma's jaw nearly fell to the floor. "_You actually got her to go to sleep?_"

"I didn't do anything special."

"That's my job!"

"Well, she kicked you out of her room. I guess you've been fired."

"No! No, no, no, no, no! Tenshi's . . . Tenshi's my responsibility! Not yours! I'm the one who takes care of her!"

"Then why did you leave her alone? She looked terrified when she came down last night. Eyes wide, skin pale, heart beat accelerated . . ." Sasori said with an utterly bored look on his face that only made it worse. Akuma was on the verge of tears.

"Akuma? What's wrong?" said Hikari.

"I'm . . ."

Tenshi stirred. Akuma's head snapped in her direction, and she hurriedly wiped her tears. Then she went over to her sleeping friend and shook her slightly.

"Tenshi! Wake up!"

"Five more minutes . . ."

"Yeah, well wake up! Up, up!"

"Fine, fine, what'd you want?" Tenshi rubbed her eyes and stretched like a cat. Hikari noticed that Sasori was watching her every movement like a hawk, without blinking. It occurred to her that she might have stumbled upon one heck of a complicated situation. And according to what she knew about Tenshi, the girl was likely to be completely oblivious to all of it. She sighed and rubbed her neck. Just when she thought her dream had come true, it just _had_ to come with a big fat side-dish of drama just wanting to blow up in all their faces. Just great. Between Akuma and Tenshi's codependent relationship (she honestly had trouble telling _who_ was dependent on _whom_), and Deidara and Sasori's budding obsession with Tenshi, adding Tenshi's obvious mental woes, this was, to sum up, a giant freaking mess. And Tenshi was at the center of it all.

Yep. Just great.

* * *

><p>I'd been woken up, rather rudely I might add, by Akuma clamoring like a cat for her breakfast. I got up, still groggy.<p>

"Fine, I'll cook! What'd you want?"

"Pancakes!"

"Fine."

About an hour and a half later (I took a shower and got dressed first) I was flipping pancakes and the Akatsuki was starting to awaken and flock down and clamor for food.

Breakfast was the same as always.

When I was home, I usually made something and they all ate together (I ate alone). If I wasn't, they usually skipped it, because no one wanted to be caught using my kitchen. Even when they cleaned it up, I just knew. Kisame had found out the hard way.

There were no complaints there, as Kisame was a very fishy cook.

So, I made a huge stack of pancakes. They crowded around the table, pushing and shoving, trying to snatch the last of the maple syrup. Itachi restrained his annoyance as Deidara jabbed his elbow in his ribs, and tried to eat in an at least semi-dignified manner. Kisame and Hidan ate nearly all the pancakes, and the latter flipped Deidara off when he started whining about it. I clocked both of them over the head with the frying pan.

Afterwards, we all crowded around the TV (with the usual wrestling over the remote) but this time we had several additions. Pein had come out of his seclusion at Konan's urgings and who could forget Akuma's friend, Hikari. The latter was looking overwhelmed at having most of the Akatsuki in one place, and I could have sworn I saw her fingers twitch and her eyes get all sparkly when she saw them. She seemed especially twitchy around Deidara, but nearly squealed (I swear she did) when Hidan sat next to her, shirtless.

The problem was that it was seriously crowded with everyone there. I was forced to accommodate Akuma on my chair, much to my displeasure. It's _my_ chair, dammit.

"This isn't gonna work for long." I said.

"You said it. We need to go shopping again, by the way. And the laundry is starting to pile up." Akuma said.

"Can't we go to your . . ."

"Hey, guys?" I was interrupted by Hikari. "Where did you two meet?"

"That was out of the blue." commented Kakuzu. He was shuffling playing cards at the dining room table.

"Shut up! I actually wanna know." said Hidan, leaning forward. "How did a bitch like her," he pointed to me "become friends with the fur ball?"

"Hey! I resent that." We said in unison.

"Hikari's question is valid." said Pein. "The circumstances of your encounter are . . . questionable."

"Yeah, what he said, hm."

Sasori had no comment, but did look up from his book. My cheeks turned red.

"We met in ballet class."

Silence.

Hikari was the first to pitch in. "As in . . . _ballet_, ballet?"

"Yes, ballet!" I snapped.

Hidan burst out laughing. "Seriously? Fucking _ballet _class? You'd look like a fucking duck if you tried to dance!" I threw my shoe at his head, which he nimbly dodged, still laughing his ass off. Deidara had joined him, as apparently the idea of me dancing was utterly ridiculous.

"Why would you ever do that?" Konan asked, chuckling as well. I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. I couldn't help but turn red.

"My parents made me. In my defense, I was four years old. I quit after a year."

"But you were so cute in a leotard! Pink actually looks good on you, but not with those god awful red streaks in your hair, of course."

"Akuma!" I protested, turning redder. "Stop laughing!" I snapped at the two imbeciles rolling on the floor.

"Oh wait! I'll show you guys."

Akuma jumped up and went upstairs, into the attic. We heard her rummaging around for a while, and then she came back, holding a photo album up triumphantly.

"Gather round, people!" she said. She sat in the middle of the couch, between Pein and Itachi. The rest fought to look over her shoulder, except Konan, who got the best spot right behind Akuma's shoulder. Even Sasori was fighting for a spot. This was going to be humiliating . . .

"So, this is the two of us, in ballet class."

"Wait . . . is that actually Tenshi?" asked Kakuzu. "She looks . . ."

"Innocent, maybe?" said Konan. "But that girl is so cute! Big blue eyes, white-blonde hair, Tenshi actually looks like an angel in that pink tutu!"

"Yeah, what happened to your hair?" asked Deidara.

"It darkened." I said shortly. I felt like crawling in a hole. "That often happens to blond-haired kids."

"Yeah, and that's me next to her. See?"

"Aren't the two of you so adorable?" Konan seemed especially taken with the picture. "Do you have any more?"

"Yeah!"

"Of course she does. She spent half her life carrying around that damn sparkly camera."

"Look at this one." she flipped ahead, and showed them pictures of my childhood, commenting on each one. She showed them the ones of her and me doing ballet, photograph of various schoolyard squabbles I got into, our excursions through the backyard, me fighting off a rat (Akuma is scared to death of rats), the time she made me climb up a tree with her and nearly broke both our necks, et cetera.

"Hey wait, what's this one? Are you biting that guy's arm, hm?"

I sighed. It was the one of that time Akuma and I played in the sandbox. It was a one-time thing. "I remember that. Yeah, that's my brother. He's five years older than me."

"I still think you shouldn't have bit him, or destroyed his sandcastle. That was mean." said Akuma.

"He dumped sand on my head!"

"We're not getting into this again!"

"Why did you have to photograph it, anyway?"

"I thought it was funny. Till you threw a fit and destroyed my sandcastle too!"

"Let's just let it go."

She showed them picture, after picture, after picture. Fortunately, I had made sure in the past to get rid of any overly embarrassing photos.

While they were looking at the Christmas Day of when we were eight, Itachi made a comment.

"Why do you look . . . dazed in most of these?"

"You mean stoned out of her fucking mind?" said Hidan.

"Hidan. That is not polite." said Itachi.

"He has a point. You look drugged." said Sasori. They looked at me expectantly. I sighed, and ran a hand through my hair.

"I had temper issues as a kid. I would fly into rages and destroy and beat up everything around me. I was prescribed drugs. I think they were sedatives, or something like that."

"So you've been on drugs . . . all your life?" he asked.

"Pretty much."

"Ah. I knew you were a psychotic bitch." laughed Hidan.

"Should I take that as a compliment?"

"Hell yeah! I'd love to slaughter you, you'd make one fucking worthy sacrifice to Jashin!"

"Kakuzu. Please shut him up."

"Gladly." Following that, the only sounds we heard from Hidan were muffled insults.

"I have a question." said Pein, who had taken the album from Akuma and flipped on ahead. "The pictures stop when you are about eleven years old. Why is that?"

"I moved to Los Angeles at that age. It's a big city, to the South."

"Why did you go?"

"My dad dragged us there because of work. We stayed about three years."

This was getting into territory that I was not comfortable treading. The Akatsuki didn't notice my nervousness, and kept on discussing the pictures, even flipping back to the ones of me as a child, when I was still an angel, with big blue eyes and white blond hair.

Akuma would have noticed that I was edgy, but she was too busy tugging the album out of Deidara's hands. In the end, Hikari, who had remained silent throughout the whole scene, piped up in a small voice.

"Hey, it's lunch. Why don't we get something to eat?" The idea was received with enthusiasm, and the album was left behind.

Next chance I got, I would burn the damn thing. I absolutely hated to be reminded of those days.

* * *

><p>Yeah, so, how long should I make this thing? Any ideas I could use? I have a couple of them in mind right now, but this thing isn't gonna last forever.<p>

Review.

Peace out.


	25. Jutsu Reversal and Twister Wagers

Hello again. I really don't have anything to say right now . . . except that reviews make me happy. And as I'm studying for my bac right now, I really need incentive to get my ass in gear and write. Did I mention that I'm a horrible procrastinator? I haven't made any progress on my book in months.

* * *

><p>Pein examined the diagram he had carefully drawn on the back of a map. It was a very complicated diagram, covered with circles, squiggles, kanji, and would make absolutely no sense to anyone not trained in ninjutsu. Carefully, deliberately, he erased a symbol and replaced it with another, nearly identical to the first. His eyes combed the diagram, searching for any mistakes he might have made. Over his shoulder, Konan stood, attentive, waiting, as always. He swirled around in his chair and gave her an almost imperceptible nod. She nodded in return, gravely. Everything was ready.<p>

A scream shattered the air.

Without needing to be told, Konan rushed out of the room and towards the source of the scream. To her highly trained ears, it had sounded like Akuma. It took her less than thirty seconds to get to the source: the bathroom.

"GET OUT!"

Hidan rushed out of the bathroom, soaking wet, and covered in shampoo. Akuma came out, hot on his heels, barely covered with a towel, a murderous gleam to rival Tenshi's in her eye, and brandishing a brush. Hidan ran towards the stairs. She drew her arm back with a yell, and threw. The brush sailed through the air, and hit Hidan squarely in the back of his head.

"OW! You bitch!" he yelled.

"You pervert! Can't you tell when someone's taking a shower?"

"It's not my fucking fault the door doesn't lock!"

"Next time, fucking KNOCK!" She grabbed another brush and hurled it at him. This time he ducked, backwards, and crashed into Tenshi who was running up to see what the screaming was all about. They both tumbled down with a loud crash. Konan rushed to the head of the stairs, followed closely by Akuma, who wrapped the towel securely around herself.

Hidan lay on top of Tenshi. He groaned and held his head.

"Shit . . ." He then noticed that something had broken his fall. "Oh, it's the _other_ bitch. Yeah, yeah, I'll move!" He rolled off of her, anticipating her yells of indignation. "Are you going to hit me too?" There was no response.

"Tenshi? Are you okay?" Akuma called, running down the stairs, Konan in tow. She shook her slightly. For ten seconds, she waited with her breath held, before Tenshi's finger twitched.

"Ow . . . son of a bitch! What the hell happened?" she groaned. "Something silver crashed into me . . . Was it a UFO?"

"You must have hit your head. Can you stand?"

"Yeah . . . damn it, it fucking hurts!" her eyes fell on Hidan. "Did you just knock me down the stairs?" It was an actual question, devoid of anger.

"Huh, yeah?" Hidan answered.

"May I throttle you?" She asked calmly, as of you was inquiring about the weather. He turned pale.

"No! Fuck, no!"

"I see. May I stab you in the neck then? Or kick you in the balls? Or cut off your . . ."

"No!" he yelled. "It was an accident! I fucking swear! I'm sorry, all right!"

"Oh, whatever, I'll get you later. Akuma, help me up?"

"Of course." As Akuma helped her up, her towel slipped. She turned bright red and scrambled to hold onto both it and Tenshi at the same time.

"Whoa, bitch. You're as flat as a fucking board."

It took Akuma a moment to process what he'd just said. When she did, she suddenly turned tomato red with embarrassment and anger.

"On second thought, I think I should sit down." Tenshi said hastily. "Please go get dressed." She sat down on the stairs and Akuma ran upstairs to get some clothes on.

Konan sighed, and sent a withering look towards Hidan.

"What? It's true! She looks like a boy!"

"Hidan," said Konan, "That is not something you should say to a lady, if you enjoy your manhood that is. If not, I would be happy to correct the situation for you."

"Hey, aren't I the one who makes the threats around here?" said Tenshi. "I'm feeling kind of . . . hazy. Did I lose my edge? I think I threatened Hidan a moment earlier, but it didn't _feel_ like I was threatening him. And why do I feel like I just ran into a UFO?"

"Don't you worry. Your threats are just fine." Konan reassured her, ignoring her second question.

"Is that so? Well goody."

She then fainted.

Konan caught her before she could hit her head again and examined her. There was no wound, but she probably had a concussion. Making sure she was really out, Konan effortlessly picked her up. Before going up, she looked at Hidan.

"You might want to clean up. You're covered in shampoo."

"I know . . . the bitch threw a bottle of the stuff at me."

* * *

><p>An hour later, Pein had assembled all of his organization in the small room, which was now definitely cramped, as the member were forced to stand right next to the walls, with the furniture. Pein had cleared a large space in the middle of the room, and had drawn a diagram in chalk, the same diagram he had been working on previously.<p>

"Will this get us back?" asked Kisame.

"Seriously? We're finally going home? Good! I'm sick of this fucking place! I haven't had a good sacrifice to Jashin in ages! If this keeps up, he'll be angry at me, and Jashin is not someone you want to see pissed off!"

A buzz of conversation broke out among the Akatsuki. Excitement ran rampant, fluttering about and growing more intense. Only Itachi had the presence of mind to confirm the situation.

"Pein, is this true? Did you create a jutsu to send us home?" They all quieted down and stared at their leader, who returned the look with a serious one of his own.

"No." You could almost hear the excitement burst like an oversized balloon.

"Then, what is that for?" grumbled Kakuzu, heavily disappointed.

"I have created a jutsu that will lift our curse."

"So we will no longer have to turn into . . . those things?"

Pein nodded.

The conversation that broke out was ecstatic. There was even a triumphant yell from Hidan, and Sasori seemed to have a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Finally! Now we won't be dependent on Tenshi's whims!" said Kisame.

"**Can we eat her, now**? Yes, we would like to eat her." said Zetsu, working himself out of the ceiling.

"No." Konan intervened. "Pein and I have decided that the rules will still stand. None of you are to injure the girls-all three of them-and you are to obey Tenshi as if she spoke for Pein. This matter is not open to discussion."

"Anybody who dares contradict my orders will be made to understand the true meaning of Pain."

"Exactly. The only difference is that she will not be able to threaten you with water."

"Well, I don't mind." said Kisame. "I like those girls. Even if Tenshi is a little neurotic sometimes."

"A little? She came after me with a knife, hm!"

"I meant to ask, what in the world did you say to her that day?" asked Kakuzu.

"**He made a rather crude joke** that we will not be repeating here."

"You were watching?" said Deidara, outraged.

"**Of course. We came back to see **if everything was going fine. **We were hoping she would slice you up **so we could have a fresh meal for a change."

"You bastard! Whose side are you on, hm?"

"Whoever kills the other's side." Zetsu said, licking his lips.

"All this nonsense aside," intervened Sasori. "I have no objections. May we get this over with, _quickly_?"

"Very well. Does anyone have an objection to this jutsu? You should know that it might not work."

"Who cares? Nothing could be worse that turning into balls of fur!" said Kakuzu. There were nods of assent.

"Wait, how long is this going to take? If Tenshi interrupts us . . ."

"This jutsu will take an hour to complete."

"As for Tenshi, we are in luck. Due to an accident not long ago," Konan glanced emphatically at Hidan, who squirmed. "She is out."

"What happened? (hm)" Deidara and Sasori said in unison.

"Can we get on with this?" snapped Kakuzu. Pein nodded.

They all stepped inside the diagram. Pein made a combination of hand seals, finishing in the tiger seal, and sent chakra circulating throughout the diagram and to the member of the Akatsuki. The lines on the ground glowed blue, filling the room with mist-like wisps of chakra.

* * *

><p>Akuma and Hikari peeked into the room where the jutsu was being completed. The first frowned.<p>

"This is not good . . ."

"Why's that? Shouldn't it be a good thing that they won't turn into kittens anymore?"

"Well, Tenshi's main way of keeping them under control is threatening to castrate them, which she can only do if they can be turned into fluffy cats."

"She . . ." Hikari said, eyes wide. "Actually threatened to . . ."

"Yes. And she was prepared to back up that threat, too."

"She's crazy! How could she possibly think of doing . . . _that_ . . ." she shuddered "To the Akatsuki? It's just cruel!"

"It keeps them in line . . . most of the time. So what are we going to do?" said Akuma, glancing over at her friend. "We can't let the Akatsuki be castrated, now can we? Who knows how it would affect them!"

It took a moment for Hikari to catch Akuma's drift. When she did, she smiles brightly. "Of course not. This is for the best. Plus, we'll be able to take them to that new waterpark! Just imagine all those guys in swimsuits!"

"Yep, yep, yep. We could interfere . . ."

"But we won't. Say, why don't we order pizza and pretend we never saw anything?"

"My friend, that is an excellent suggestion. Why don't we put a very loud movie on, too?"

They made their way down the stairs, sharing a conspiratorial grin.

* * *

><p>I lay in bed, one arm covering my face. My head felt like it had spilt open, and I even felt a little bit nauseous. I must have hit my head pretty damn hard. I rolled onto my side and blinked slowly. Maybe I should get up now. Couldn't leave those idiots on their own for too long.<p>

I dragged myself out of bed, and out the door, and down the stairs. I was slightly confused; what had happened again? I wasn't even sure what day it was.

In the living room, the furniture had been pushed back to clear a large space in the middle. What I saw immediately jerked my awake. Oh, yes, I wasn't confused any more.

They were playing Twister. As in, _Twister_. Itachi was, with the expressionless air with which he did everything, spinning the wheel and announcing the results in a dead voice. The current contestants were Akuma, Hikari, Hidan, and Kisame. That sight would forever be burned in my mind.

Akuma was doing the splits across one side of the mat, both hands in front of her. Hikari was rather precariously balanced in a badly done reverse plank position, both hands behind her and straining her feet to reach the right circle. Hidan was standing rather smugly, both feet on the same color (it seems the bastard had gotten extremely lucky) and Kisame was the most twisted, with one leg going under Hikari, the other folded under his body, right arm reaching out and touching the circle with barely one finger, the left supporting his whole weight.

"Tenshi, would you care to place a bet?" asked Kakuzu. He held up a sheet of paper with numbers written on it, a large pile of cash on the coffee table. I didn't even want to _know_ where that money came from.

"Hikari seems to be losing." deadpanned Sasori.

"Oh, thank you _so_ much! I'd like to see you try this, Pinocchio!" She was trembling with the effort, and I couldn't blame her.

"I would never stoop so low as to play such a game. Besides, this body is a puppet. This would pose no challenge to me."

"That's why we won't let you play, hm. You'd ruin the fun for everyone."

"Out of curiosity, how long has Hikari been holding that position?" I asked, sitting next to Itachi on the couch. I grabbed a soda and took a sip.

"Roughly seven minutes. Her feet have been moving back and forth for a while now." said Itachi. "It's her turn, so that might change."

"Seven minutes, not bad." I said. "A reverse plank isn't so easy to hold for so long. Especially if you have no muscles, as seems to be the case here."

"Would you quit chatting and spin the damn wheel? I'm dying here!" she nearly yelled, face red and sweaty. Itachi obliged.

"Right foot red."

"Son of a bitch!" she whined, and moved her foot accordingly. It did nothing to lessen her predicament.

"Face it, new bitch, you're gonna lose this round." Hidan smirked down at her from his comfortable spot.

"Screw you! I will _never_ give, you hear me? _Never_!"

"Yeah, yeah, spin the wheel, would you?" said Kisame.

"What, is sharky getting tired?" Akuma mocked.

"No, my leg is going numb. I want to stretch it, but I could hold this pose forever."

"Damn stupid, over-trained ninja . . ." grumbled Hikari. Itachi spun.

"Left foot green."

"Good, good." he moved his leg. "Much better." He grinned toothily at Hikari, who sent his an exhausted glare.

Next, it was Akuma's turn. Her right hand was sent to the blue circle, but she barely had to move. Both feet were on circles on opposing ends of the mat, so she simply did the splits. As long as only her hands moved, she was fine. Akuma had actually continued ballet after I quit, and got quite good at it. When she was fourteen, she switched to gymnastics. As a result of her training in both sports, she was extremely flexible and agile. It was almost scary.

Hidan was forced to give up his easy position when his hand got sent to the green circle. He still had it easy, he just had to crouch.

The game continued, but I sort of lost interest.

"This is boring. Kakuzu, why do you even bother betting? It's obvious who's going to lose. Against two ninja and a trained ballet dancer and gymnast, Hikari doesn't stand a chance."

"Maybe, but who will win?" he grinned with soulless eyes.

"That's true. Alright, count me in. Twenty bucks on Akuma." I handed over the cash and he dutifully wrote down my wager.

"For the record, Deidara bet on Hidan, Sasori on Hidan also, Konan on Akuma. Nobody bet on Kisame."

"That must hurt, hm." Deidara shot at the shark man.

"Shut up, boy. I bet on myself." growled Kisame.

"That's . . . kind of sad."

"Kakuzu, didn't you bet on anyone?" I asked him. He frowned.

"Of course not."

"Then how will you make a profit?"

"I get a 50% cut of the final amount."

"_50_? You son of a bitch! You're totally ripping me off! Give me my money back!"

"My apologies, but there is no refund option." He turned away from me, and started counting the total jackpot, evidently considering the matter closed and no longer open to discussion. I was red with anger. How dare he! That miserable money-grubbing, soul sucking, lowlife, _cheater_!

"Akuma! You'd better win this!" I yelled. "I want my money back!"

"Sure thing! I'll be taking 20 % of your gains, just so you know. It was part of the deal."

"Kakuzu arranged this whole thing. He wanted to make some money." said Sasori.

"Is _everybody_ cheating me out of my money around here?"

"I'm not, hm." said Deidara. "I just hope you lose the bet. Hey, care to make it more interesting?"

"What'd you have in mind?" I was so worked up by then that I wasn't thinking straight. I should have refused the offer, but _no_! When the blood rushed to my brain, it completely scrambled it up, like eggs.

"The winner gets to order the loser around for a whole day, hm."

"Tenshi! Don't do it! I don't think . . ." Akuma called.

"Fine, it's a de . . ."

"I also bet on Hidan. Might I be included in your deal?" Sasori chimed in. He received a glare from Deidara.

"I don't see why not. When I win, I'll boss the both of you around! Bring it on!"

"Hum, Tenshi, seriously . . ." That was Akuma again.

"Great, hm." Deidara grinned. "When we win, we'll do it on different days. To prolong your suffering and the humiliation of having lost!" He laughed maniacally.

"It's a deal. You better get ready for a full day of torment, blondie! I'll go easy on Red, though. I don't have a bone to pick with him, but I just realized, I never properly paid you back for that comment you made that other time."

"Which was?" asked Kisame. "Come on, all of us are dying to know!"

I turned red. "I'd rather not repeat it." I coughed, embarrassed. They were all about to press me further on the subject when Akuma's voice made itself heard.

"Tenshi . . . Sorry!" she said. "But I really can't hold this position anymore! My hips hurt!"

"Oh no, don't you dare! _Don't you dare_! Don't you _dare_ quit!"

"Sorry!" With a relieved sigh, she folded her legs and stepped off the mat. At that moment, Hikari gave, falling onto Kisame's leg, and the shark man in turn lost his balance and crumpled.

Hidan was the victor. Deidara grinned at me, that same look in his eye as always. Smoldering, intense, eyes running all over me, seeing right through me, as if . . . as if . . . as if I was some extremely interesting and desirable rare animal or work of art he happened to have caught sight of and that he wanted for himself. Sasori noticed the look, and frowned, but that was all the expression his wooden face gave away. As to what he was really thinking or feeling, I had no idea. But he sure looked displeased.

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><p>Review. That's all I have to say. And school ends tomorrow! But then I have the bac . . .<p>

Peace out.


	26. Break

I know. It's been a while, and I quite frankly have no excuse. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, and stuck with me even though I'm really, really late. Seriously. I'm sorry.

This chapter is a bit rough. I finally got an idea and just ran with it. At least I managed to figure out what the hell I was going to do. I mean, can any of you actually picture Tenshi taking orders from Deidara? I kinda dug myself a hole with that one. Hopefully, what I came up with doesn't suck.

It was also my birthday this week, so I really wanted to update. Again, it's a rough chapter, rather rushed.

Please review!

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><p>I was woken up the next morning by someone violently ripping my covers off my bed. I scrambled out of bed, shivering in the cold, extremely confused as to what the hell was happening.<p>

"What the hell . . . " I moaned, running my hands through my messy hair.

"Get up, hm." Oh, dear, Lord, kill me now.

"Deidara, if this is a dream, then I am going to smother you with my pillow. If, God forbid, this is not a dream, well, I'm still going to throttle you, you damn pyromaniac sonofabitch with an explosion fetish . . ." I mumbled, still have asleep, rubbing my eyes tiredly. I half glanced at the clock. Seven AM.

"Get up! Today, you have to do everything I tell you, remember! So get up, hm!"

I puddled out of the bed like a half-liquid blob up and shambled up to him like a zombie, holding my pillow. I stared up at his grinning face, at that bright, mischievous eye and silky soft blond hair. I yawned, half-closing my eyes. I hit him with the pillow.

Feathers flew everywhere. I took advantage of his confusion and kicked him out of my room. I slammed the door. I place my chair under the doorknob. I gathered up my comforter, my pillow, my headphones, my iPod. I curled back into bed, putting some music one. I went back to sleep, oblivious to the banging on the door.

When I woke up it was much later, and I was confused as to why I had my headphones on, and why the chair was jammed under the door. I ignored it and got dressed, showering quickly beforehand.

When I got downstairs, Deidara was waiting for me. And boy, he did not look happy.

"Did you sleep well, hm?" he said acidly.

"Sure." I grabbed some juice from the fridge. He followed me like a very sullen shadow. "What's with _you_?" He glared at me.

"He tried to wake you up this morning." Hikari called from the living room.

"Yeah, you beat him with a pillow." Akuma said. "Hikari made french toast, come and eat!"

Deidara forgotten, I rushed into the living room.

"Wait. You used my kitchen?" I said in a low tone.

"I told her she could. Don't worry, I put everything back the way you want it." said Akuma. "Hikari's really good at cooking!"

"I cook a lot for my mom." she said simply.

"I don't care! Don't touch my kitchen! Or my chair! Or my room! Stay out of my kitchen! Out, out! Neither you nor cockroaches are welcome in my kitchen! I'll swat you, get it!"

"I feel like I should be offended at that." said Hikari. Akuma clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"Stop ignoring me, hm!"

"Oh, go away! You're almost worse than a cockroach! Shoo, shoo, I'll swat you too!" I shooed him. "I have to go clean!"

"What about our bet, hm? You're mine for the day." he grinned. I stared at him.

"Seriously? Not gonna happen. "

"But you lost, hm!"

"So? Can you _make_ me do it?" He struggled for an answer. "I didn't think so. Here's how it goes. You can say I have to do something, but that means nothing unless you can back it up. Since you can't, screw you, Blondie. I'm not taking orders from you."

Deidara was spitting mad. He was red, gritting his teeth, as he realized that there was nothing he could do. With Pein's protection, I outranked him. And I really didn't care about honoring my bet. It was the same logic that let me lie during a game of truth or dare. If you can't make me do something, then to do it or not is entirely dependent on my good will. Since being Deidara's bitch for the day was far too disgraceful for me, I decided that I would simply not do it. What was he gonna do? Blow me up? He couldn't even touch me without violating the rules.

"If you understand that, go away. I have to clean. Things need to be clean, clean I say! Perfectly arranged, perfectly neat, so do not go in my kitchen! Not one step! Got it, brat?"

"Did you just call me a brat?" Hikari exclaimed.

"Yeah, got a problem with that?"

"No, ma'am." she clammed up.

"Didn't think so. Now, off to clean!"

"Does she have OCD?" Hikari whispered to Akuma.

"Wouldn't surprise me."

"I heard that!" I called out on my way to the kitchen. Time to clean. I needed to do it anyway; it'd been a week since I'd scrubbed everything, made everything nice and shiny and clean . . . And if Deidara tried to bug me again, I'd spray him with bug spray. Or splash bleach on him, but that might be overkill. I might get some on my hands.

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><p>"What a bitch." said Deidara. He poked his food angrily. This had been his chance, too. He had wanted to see how far he could push her, but that had gotten boring. Now he just wanted to drive her crazy, because he had nothing else to do. He also got strangely satisfied when she reacted to things he did, but he felt he still wanted more, a different reaction maybe, but whatever he did it was always the same: indifference, then irritation, then rapidly escalating anger, before exploding into a rage where she would try and murder him with a knife. That had only happened once, and as far as he knew, that was the final stage. But it was always the same anger. Couldn't he make her react differently? He wanted to make her react in any way he wanted, like a toy he'd play with till he got bored. But this toy might prove to be immensely entertaining.<p>

Unfortunately, he wasn't particularly good at manipulating people. He'd rather blow them up in a second of beautiful, transcendent art, a blast of fire and heat, annihilating everything in its path. It was Pein's fault, he thought. If he hadn't told them they couldn't harm the girls, he would have blown Tenshi sky-high before she's had the time to make him interested in her. Now, there was no way he could blow her up. He wanted more out of her. He just had to figure out what exactly he wanted, and then, how to get it, a process he struggled with.

On top of all that, she was getting closer to Master Sasori. Even letting him sit near her . . . that was unacceptable! She was his toy! Only his respect for the puppet master kept him from speaking to him about it. He wanted Tenshi for himself, but she stayed stubbornly out of reach, looking at him with blank, uncaring eyes that drove him wild. Those eyes told him that she thought of him as nothing but a nuisance, an unwelcome pest. He wanted to change that, no matter what it took.

He jammed his fork into the wood of the table, making Akuma and Hikari jump. He glared murderously at his plate. It was time to do something about it. He was an S-ranked criminal, a terrorist affiliated with strongest criminal organization in the world, and here he was backing down just because he was told not to by a mentally unstable (and seriously twisted, in his opinion) teenager?

Deidara got up. He went to the kitchen, where Tenshi happened to be taking a break. Her eyes narrowed in displeasure, she opened her mouth to snap at him, but he wouldn't listen. He was tired of listening to her.

He advanced, closer to her, and she took a step back. He continued, and her back hit the wall.

"What the hell are you doing . . ." she seethed.

"Shut up, hm."

"What . . ." He cut her off, planting his arm on the wall behind her, leaning in close like he had when they first met. She may act tough, but he knew her weak spot. He smirked. He'd actually forgotten.

He knew how to make her squirm.

"Listen here, bitch. You are going to do what I tell you."

"Why the hell should I?" She was beginning to shake. Her breathing sped up, her face flushed as her heartbeat increased, she bit down on her lip and refused to look him in the eye. He felt satisfaction well up inside him.

"Because you're not in any position to refuse. You're terrified, and I can tell, hm. I'll let you go if you promise to honor your bet. And don't even think about breaking it. I can put you back in this position any time, hm."

He was making her squirm, and he loved every second of it. He was almost tempted to push it further, to see if her skin really was as soft as he remembered it to be, to see if her hair still smelled like the cinnamon shampoo she used, to see if he could make her squirm in an entirely different way, but he kept himself in check.

Unfortunately for him, Deidara did not have a very good memory, and he was caught up in the moment. He'd forgotten a conclusion he'd drawn the last time he had attempted such a thing.

Tenshi gritted her teeth, and bit down harder on her lip. A small trickle of blood dripped its way down.

Deidara smirked.

Tenshi threw herself at him.

Her weight knocked him down, too shocked to respond. His head hit the counter. He felt her quickly roll off him.

He groaned, dazed. Reaching to the back of his head, he felt something warm and wet in his hair.

_Now_ he was angry.

Deidara ran after her. She hadn't gotten far, only to the living room, and was frantically heading for the garden, most likely for the hose.

She predictably was unable to reach it.

With the speed of a shinobi, he tackled her to the floor. Quickly turning her over on her back, he straddled her, one hand on her mouth to keep her from screaming, the only gripping her wrists. She trashed and tried to bite, but Deidara held on to her tightly. He was much stronger than her, and he was angry. He'd finally managed to show her who was superior; he wouldn't have had to do this if she'd just cooperated quietly!

"You're an idiot, hm." he whispered.

A scream of rage pierced his ears. Something lunged at him from behind, tearing at his hair, finger going for his eyes. It wrestled him off of Tenshi, scratching him up. He reached back and grabbed it, throwing it to the ground and punched it in the face.

Deidara froze, about to aim another at his attacker. Tears streamed down Akuma's face as she whimpered in pain. Blood covered her pale skin like stark red blossoms.

"Shit!" Deidara swore. He whirled around . . .

. . . and was met with a punch to the gut. He gasped, wind driven out of him, and looked up.

It was Tenshi. But not the bitchy Tenshi, or the scared Tenshi.

He'd never seen a young girl look so frightening, and it made him pause long enough for her to punch him in the face. He staggered back.

Tenshi looked like a demon. Her eyes were wide and wild, unblinking. She took one look at Akuma lying on the ground, and a grin appeared on her face. A demonic, frozen grin, twisted across her face, nearly from ear to ear. The eyes, the smile, her hair wild around her face, streaked with red . . .

She gave him no time to recover. She was on him in a second, pummeling him with punches. He kicked her in the knee, but she barely stumbled. He punched her, but she seemed not to register the pain. He caught her fist and threw her to the side using her own momentum. She rolled on the floor like a boneless doll, and got up, immediately lunging back at him.

They traded blows, but no matter how much damage Deidara inflicted, she wouldn't back down. He got hit a handful of time, but nothing he couldn't handle. He needed to do something, quick.

He used his superior speed to get behind her and push her against the wall. He grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back

"Tenshi! Stop, hm!" he yelled. She turned her head slightly. She was still grinning.

She slammed the back of her head against his face, pushing herself off the wall. Deidara grunted in pain. He jerked her arm up towards her head.

A sickening crack was heard. Deidara let it go and jumped away. Tenshi crumpled to the floor, left arm tumbling uselessly by her side. She got up, slowly, using the wall for support. Deidara crouched slightly, ready to react.

She whirled around and jumped at him again. He kicked her in the ribs, and another crack was heard. She fell down, only to get up again. A slight chuckle bubbled out of her lips, and escalated into full blown laughter. She aimed a punch at him again, still laughing. She looked like she was having an immense amount of fun.

"Tenshi! Stop!" Akuma screamed. "Just stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!"

Tenshi didn't seem to be listening. She threw herself back into the fight, holding nothing back, adding kicks to her punches, alternating between grinning and laughing maniacally, eyes open wide, crazed. Deidara responded in kind, though he held back. He was having trouble holding her back, but he didn't want to go at it too strongly. He did not want to kill her. She made it hard, though. It was like she felt no pain at all.

"ANGEL!"

She froze, for one small, short second, her gaze traveling to the tear stained face of her friend, her grin disappearing, eye wide, but now with guilt and undiluted shock.

"Dawn . . ." she whispered, a single word that went unheard.

Deidara kicked her. Her guard was down. She took the full force of the hit.

She went sailing through the air, gracefully, light as a feather.

Her body crashed through the window with the clear sound of shattering glass.

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><p>So? What'd you think? That was a cliffhanger, right? I don't think I've ever done one before, it's kind of exiting.<p>

Also, I hear that people do chapter plans. I've never done that. I seriously don't know what's going to happen next. I know the ending, but anything in between is up for grabs. I just make it up as I go along. I have a handful of ideas, but absolutely no plan.

Is that weird? Frankly, I don't think I care. But I do think I'm rambling. Probably because it's late and I'm tired, and still suffering from mild jet lag.

I'll shut up now.

Please review!

_Bonne nuit._

Peace out.


	27. Shatter

Now this, was relatively fast. I didn't have the heart to leave you guys hanging like that. On the flip side, this chapter is shorter, and a little less polished than I'd like it to be. Oh well.

I'm wondering if I should add genres to this story. I was thinking humor/drama might be good.

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><p>Sasori was consulting with Pein on the subject of the jutsu he was working on. He wanted to know exactly how long it would take, and if it would be possible to bring people without chakra with them. Pein replied that he still had a long ways to go, that he was unsure of the final result. Itachi was scribbling something down on paper, Konan looking over his shoulder, frowning slightly, not so much in confusion as in concentration.<p>

Hidan barged in without knocking, strutting rudely into the room.

"Hidan. We are working." said Pein, more than a little irritated.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, that's all you fucking do. Just thought you'd like to know that Deidara and the bitch are fighting it out downstairs."

"It's probably just Deidara irritating Tenshi again." sighed Pein. "I'll have to . . . talk to him about it again. As if I didn't have enough work to do."

"Nah, looked pretty fucking serious to me."

"Why didn't you stop them then?" asked Konan. She was starting to worry.

"It's none of my fucking business, that's why. Plus, it was fun to watch, this place is boring as hell. Although the bitch is getting the stuffing beaten out of her. Her arm cracked pretty damn loudly."

Sasori's eyes widened. He rushed out the door, down the stairs. He didn't know himself why he ran, he just did. This feeling in his chest, he identified it as worry, with a kind of dry detachment. Tenshi's face flashed through his mind, and he gritted his teeth. He heard furniture crashing, and, as he entered the living room, a desperate cry.

"ANGEL!"

Sasori was too late. He saw her shocked face, Deidara's leg coming up, knew that he couldn't stop it.

She went flying through the window.

He stood and watched, unable to do anything.

Konan appeared next to him, paled, and called for Pein. Sasori ran out, to Tenshi's side. He shook her, but she didn't respond. He kept thinking, if he'd been a minute earlier . . .

"Is she all right, hm?" Sasori glared at his partner. A spark of anger lit up inside his chest.

"What in the _world_ were you thinking, brat?" he growled.

"I . . ." Deidara was at lost for words.

"You two. Inside. Now." It was Pein, and he did not look pleased. Konan came and gently moved Tenshi back inside the house, on the couch. She did not stir.

The entire Akatsuki now gathered, Pein addressed them.

"Why," he asked in a deadly serious tone. "Did none of you break them up?"

None of them had heard. Itachi, Pein, Konan, and Sasori had been working in the room that Pein had soundproofed when he first acquired it (it was the only way to get any work done). Kisame had been taking a shower. Kakuzu was busy counting money in the attic. Zetsu was out exploring. The only one who had seen was Hidan, but he had preferred to watch rather than get involved.

"Do you understand what you've done?" Pein said to Deidara. The blonde shuffled awkwardly, glancing at the unmoving Tenshi. "You have gone against my explicit orders, and have gravely harmed a person I had deemed to be under my protection. Be certain that you will be severely punished for this."

"How _could _you!" yelled Akuma. She was in tears over Tenshi, wiping at the blood that still flowed from her nose. "You didn't have to go that far! You didn't!"

"Hey! She was the one who flipped out, hm!"

"Don't you dare try to blame this on her!"

"But . . ."

"Deidara, I think no one is interested in hearing your excuses." said Kisame. "Tenshi has been unconscious for several minutes. It might be best to take her to a doctor."

"And explain this, how?" growled Kakuzu. "They are sure to ask question. It's obvious she was assaulted. As a minor, they might call her parents. We could get arrested by the police. This is a fine mess you've created, Deidara."

"That's for fucking sure!"

"Hidan! You are to blame, also! You should have stopped them!"

"Hey, hey, I wasn't the one who kicked the bitch out of a goddamned window!"

"Hidan! Shut up!"

"Yeah, yeah." he grumbled and went to sit on the floor in front of the couch. Akuma turned to him, gave him a look, and started beating him with her little fists. Kisame came and wrestled her off, slinging her over his shoulder. She kicked at him, so he put her down next to Konan, who put a firm arm around her shoulder. Akuma sobbed.

The Akatsuki kept arguing. Everyone was blaming everyone for being unable to hear, and unable to stop it. Sasori was glaring murderously at Deidara. Only Hidan stayed completely out; he could care less. He was immortal, what the fuck did he care?

The scent of blood tickled at his nose. He looked over to the couch where Tenshi was lying. A large bloodstain was spreading beneath her. Curious, he bent over her. He couldn't feel her breath. He placed his hand on her neck. His eyebrow rose.

"Oy, guys. This bitch is dead."

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><p>Hikari huddled in the closet. She'd hidden there when the fight broke out. She couldn't help it. Some people called her a coward, because she always ran away from fights and dangerous situations. She preferred the term 'survivor.'<p>

Peeking out through a crack, she saw the Akatsuki arguing. She saw Akuma being restrained, albeit gently, by Konan. Hikari had good instincts that had helped her more than once, and they were telling her that she should stay in the damn closet. They seemed to have forgotten about her, which in this situation was preferable. She might hear or see something important, who knows? But still, there was nothing she could do but listen and huddle, making as little noise as possible.

But wait, there was something. She knew they wouldn't take her to a doctor. If she'd been unconscious that long, it meant that she was severely injured. She needed medical attention . . . might even die without it. Hikari glanced at the broken hearted face of her friend. She sighed. As much as she loved the Akatsuki, Dawn came first. She'd been extraordinarily kind to her, and it would be a poor way to repay her by letting her friend die through her own inaction.

Hikari took out her cellphone, and dialed 911.

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><p>The Akatsuki froze.<p>

"You killed . . . Angel . . ." whispered Akuma. Her eyes were wide with shock. "She was right . . . I should have let her kill you . . ."

The whirl of sirens echoed through the air, getting closer. The police were on their way.

"We must leave." said Pein. "_Now._"

The Akatsuki nodded, and filed out the broken window, except for Deidara and Sasori. Deidara was staring at Tenshi's corpse, face white as a sheet. He swallowed nervously. Sasori also had his eyes on her, but no emotion crossed his face. He turned away.

"Brat. Let's go." he said shortly.

"What about . . ."

"The body will only be dead weight."

Deidara turned even whiter.

"LET ME GO!" yelled Akuma. She squirmed on Kisame's shoulder, kicking and punching with all her might. "MURDERERS! LET ME GO!"

"Is it necessary to take her?" winced Kisame as she bit his shoulder.

"She is a witness. She can also provide us with resources." said Itachi. Her approached Akuma lifted her chin, and stared into her eyes. She went limp.

The police broke down the door. In a flash, they were gone, leaving behind nothing but a whirl of smoke.

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><p>I wonder how many of you hate me now? Haha. Review. I am the evil author. Mwahahahaha!<p>

Sorry.

Review? Please? I got a lot of reviews last time! I'd like to break the record, which is thirteen reviews for one chapter. We're also approaching 200 total reviews! I never thought I'd get so many.

So review!

Peace out.


	28. Fall

I'm back. I'm very happy to announce that the number of reviews for the last chapter exceeded my wildest expectations. I'm really, really happy about that. I would have updated sooner, but I was pretty busy, and working on another project. I don't know if it'll get posted, but I _have_ been busy. Really.

Now, on with the story! Just a word of warning. Remember the chapter with the hallucinations? Yeah, I like that kind of stuff. So this chapter would make little sense to anyone who hasn't been inside my head, and it's supposed to be that way.

So review! I love reviews. They make me happy. Make the author happy! I need sleep. It's fricking late.

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><p>I was falling.<p>

Around me, pitch black darkness shimmered and waved, sending tendrils out to probe my unmoving body. But they passed straight through me. I couldn't feel anything. My body still looked solid to me, but I realized that I could not feel the air rushing by, the sickening feeling in my stomach that would normally accompany such a fall. I touched my face. I could not feel it.

I seemed to land, my feet touching nothing. The darkness coiled around me, lightening and turning to fog. I swept my arm through it. Nothing. It was not disturbed.

Though my senses were not working, I felt oddly peaceful. Like the fog could wash everything away, if I could just let go . . . float away peacefully and forget everything. Simply falling asleep . . .

"Well now, that's no good at all."

A voice echoed through the fog. In a flash my senses returned and along with them, a feeling a panic. My feet touched solid ground. I was cold, my body hurt, the fog bit at my skin and seemed to snarl. It turned back into thick darkness and reared over me, ready to swallow me up.

The ground gave underneath my feet, and I was falling once more.

I landed roughly in a new place. I sat up and groaned, rubbing my temple.

"What the hell was that . . ." I mumbled. I looked around.

It was like I was in space, or something along those lines. I had landed on what looked like a thick road of stars, glittering and flowing lightly along, like a slow, patient river. All around me, stars shone, as if the purest night sky had extended to form a full globe of unending twinkling lights. I stared, dizzy, transfixed by this place. The stars were so beautiful, sprinkled over the dark, some red, green, violet, even pink ones standing out amongst the rest. It seemed as if I could stretch out my hand and grab one, clenching the light tightly in my fist like a gem.

Where . . . was this?

"So you made it, huh?" A sour voice came from behind me. It was the same voice that had echoed through the fog.

I whirled around.

I was not prepared for what I saw.

It was a cage. A square cage, the bars covered in ancient ivy climbing all over it, the metal starting to rust away. Inside, was a girl. Sitting cross legged on the floor, she was young, younger than me, though the look in her eyes showed her to be incredibly ancient. Her small, thin body was covered in bandages, in turn covered with odd symbols and runes that seemed to glow darkly. Metal cuffs bound her wrists and ankles, the chains leading to four spikes jutting out of the lower corners of the cage. They glowed white hot, shimmering with heat, but she was not scorched.

Her hair went to her shoulders, bangs covering her forehead, a vivid shade of blood-red. Her large, slanted eyes were the same color. Her face was haughty, disdainful. But that was not the most striking thing about her.

On her skull, poking through her hair, was a pair of black cat ears. Two black tails curled around her legs. A pair of fangs showed as she grinned nastily.

I face palmed.

"Please. My life is already a fanfiction. You're going to tell me that you're my inner demon, correct? Man, this is lame."

She stared at me. "What the hell are you talking about?" she said acidly.

"You're not my inner demon?"

"No!"

"Oh. Sorry. Where am I?"

She looked at me like I was crazy, one eyebrow raised. She then sighed.

"Geez . . . the first bit of entertainment in eons, and it's a dead idiot. Man, I thought you'd be smarter and all, seeing as we're related."

It was my turn to stare at her like she was crazy. "_What?_"

"Oh, not _that_ way." she snapped. "Think a little. We look nothing alike."

"So what the hell do you mean? Who are you? What are you, some kind of demon?"

"_Who_ I am is a little complicated. As for _what_ I am, I suppose I _was_ a demon at some point . . ."

"Then can you tell me your name, at least?" I was starting to get incredibly frustrated with this. It was probably some stupid dream, a rather annoyingly vivid one.

"I have many names, none of which are suitable at the present moment."

"How can someone have more than one name?"

"Don't you? Angelique, Angel, Angie, Bloody Angel, Tenshi, different names for different people, different 'yous', the same, yet different. My situation is similar, only none of my names could be applied at the present time. You would be . . . let's see, are you Angel or Tenshi? The two are rather similar, so I can't really tell which one I should use."

"How the hell do you know my name?"

She smirked, and somehow, I recognized my own expression on her thin face. "I told you, we're related. Only I get to know things and you don't, because this is my universe, and I'm omnipotent. You're just a passing visitor, and in your universe, you're merely smart. You don't get to know things."

"You're crazy." I wanted to back away, but she was caged, so I felt relatively safe. Even though the bars looked so old . . .

"Of course I am. We both are."

"Could you explain what's going on here? I don't understand what you're saying! I don't get it! You're just babbling nonsense, and I'm tired of it!"

She paused, and rubbed her chin, chains clinking as she moved.

"Alright then. You _should_ be smart enough to grasp it. You have a theory that things in books and such are real, right? Don't interrupt me." she snapped as I opened my mouth to ask how the hell she knew that.

"You see, they are real. Just not quite the way you imagined them to be. You thought authors and such had a connection of sorts with other worlds, that they were simply writing them down. The truth is, the authors create worlds in their minds, and often follow up by writing them down. That's how existence is set up. Somewhere, there was an original world. Within it, conscious beings created their own worlds, and so on and so forth. That is the nature of reality, the world is created as we perceive it in our minds. A story within a story, within a story . . . and so on and so forth, infinitely. Each world spawned from a consciousness goes on to become independent, gains a life of its own, and is governed by the laws of probability. An event occurs, and the worlds split. Over and over again."

This was . . . hard to take in. And I'd thought _my_ theory was complicated.

"So . . . you mean we're related . . . does that mean our worlds were originally one or something?"

"I never said a consciousness could only spawn one world." she smirked.

"You mean . . ."

"Yep. We share the same creator, and thus our worlds are linked. Since we were spawned from the same consciousness, our characteristics overlap. That's why I said we're related."

"How . . . would you even know this?"

She shrugged. "Although I am confined, I am sort of like the . . . supreme ruler of this universe." she snickered. "Supreme ruler . . . I like that!"

"Like a god or something?"

"Sort of. But better." Well, score one for modesty.

"Okay, my head is feeling a bit fuzzy right now, so I'll accept what you're saying as true. How did I get here?"

She regarded me with a smile on her face.

"You died."

Then it hit me. The loss of control, the rage, the pure joy as I fought, and the shattering of it all as my name was called out by the person I loved most. The shock as I hit the glass, one shard piercing my back, going through my heart, the pain, the darkness . . .

I crumpled to my knees on the river of stars.

"I'm . . . dead . . ."

"Yeah. Sucks, doesn't it?" she said conversationally. "I've sort of died once before . . . only not really, I guess." She shrugged.

I was dead. I'd been killed . . . by who again? I couldn't remember, who was I fighting back then? Why was I fighting? My mind was beginning to crumble. I looked at my hand. It was starting to fade away, I could see stars through the flesh. Where was this place? Another universe? If I was dead, what was I doing here? None of this made sense! Where was Dawn? She was always by my side . . . so where was she now? I needed her by my side! Even if dying didn't bother me, I couldn't leave Dawn!

"I can't be dead! I can't! I have to go back . . . I . . . have to . . . go . . ." I clutched my head. Things were getting blurry.

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this? Don't worry, I'll send you back in a little bit."

"What . . . do you mean?"

"I told you; in this universe I am omnipotent, although I am sealed away. But something like this . . . would be fairly easy to do. If you want me to do it, make up your mind. You're starting to fade out. Once you've totally faded, there will be nothing I can do to help you. My area of control is only within this universe."

"I still have . . . questions. Our creator . . . have you ever . . . met him? The person who . . . created us?" My thoughts were disconnected; it was hard to form a coherent sentence.

"No."

"How much . . . of our fate does he control?"

"That's a moot point. Such things are not for us to know. Don't worry about the details. You won't remember any of this anyway."

She yawned, unconcerned, ears twitching here and there. The fact that someone else was dictating her existence hardly seemed to bother her.

"Things get boring around here. I'm waiting to be freed, and it's taking a very long time. I wonder how long it'll be? Maybe it won't even happen at all and I'll be stuck here for eternity."

"Once you're freed . . . what will you do?"

"I will destroy it all." she said in a low tone, darkly.

"Why?"

She closed her eyes, and her face took on a pained look. "Have you ever had a person for which you would do anything, even die? Even experience the worst pain imaginable, even commit the worst sins, all for the sake of that one person's happiness?"

That was easy. "Yes."

"I see." she closed her eyes once more. When she opened them, a mischievous sparkle was present. "I like you. As thanks for entertaining me so much, I will give you a gift. For the next time you die."

"The next time?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Were you planning on living forever?"

"I suppose not."

"Good."

She stood up, rust falling from her chain, and stretched. She got as close to the bars as she could, and clicked her tongue. In the sky, a star hiccupped and zoomed closer, twirling in front of me.

"Take it." she ordered.

I stretched out my hand, my hand that seemed to flicker in and out of existence. I closed my fist over the star.

A burst of light blinded me and a searing heat radiated through my fist. I opened it. My palm was not burn, but had ceased to fade.

I looked up at the girl. She was grinning, a sour, twisted grin, that showed just how insane she was. Covered in seals and chains, a mad god clutched inside a cage of metal, cursed to wait for a freedom that might never come, at the mercy of some unknown figure that decided fate from behind a cloak of shadows.

I stood up, no longer shaky. My mind had cleared.

"Can you send me back now?"

"Sure thing. Come back again, it gets boring around here. Oh, wait, no. That won't work . . . Oh well, never mind. Don't come again."

"Wait. You never told me your name."

"And you never told me yours."

"Because you already knew them."

"No. I don't know which one to use, because _you_ don't know what your name is. Who are you, really? All these different names, but who will call them out? A name is useless to the individual. Each person thinks of themselves as 'I'. Names are for other people's benefit. So, a person has to call you by a name so that the name becomes your own. What name do people call you? I have no idea."

"But why don't you have any?"

"I have many names, but no one to call them. Isn't that sad? Now, off you go, sister of mine. You can't stay here. My story isn't finished yet, and neither is yours." Laughter bubbled out of her pouting mouth, high and mocking, growing in strength. "I wonder what the creator has in store for you! I wonder if he'll be as cruel to you as he was to me, hmm? I guess I'm lucky, I don't care about my fate, not anymore! But _you_! Oh, dear lord, you still have so much to lose! So, much, to _lose_!"

The sound of the mad god's laughter echoed, and made the stars shudder and the dark tremble in fear. It continued, making the world shake and heave, the bars of the cage bend ever so slightly. The red eyes glowed, the chains hissed, everything cried out for release from the clutch of the mad god's will.

She grinned at me one last time, and gave a little wave.

I fell.

And kept falling.

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><p>The character I introduced here won't be appearing again. She's the main character from my book, and the state she is in has not been written yet, but since it happened in my mind, I don't care. Things tend to get jumbled in here anyway.<p>

Did any of you seriously think Tenshi was going to stay dead? I tend to be cruel to my characters, but not quite _that_ cruel. This chapter serves little point, honestly. But it was fun to write. I needed a transition, and I suppose I could have done the whole she-was-not-truly-dead-Hidan-was-just-being-dumb idea, but that sounded so boring.

Review!

_Bonne nuit._

Peace out.


	29. Introspections, Revelations

Hello, people! I'm getting a lot of reviews recently. I wonder if it would be possible to reach 300 . . . I never thought so many people would read this story, especially since my very first attempts at fanfiction were so awful I couldn't bear to leave them on the site.

So review! Make the author happy!

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><p>Akuma sobbed quietly, knees drawn up to her chest. She shivered, rain dripping on the trees above, tumbling to the ground, the occasional drop landing on her skin. They were in the park, and night was slowly falling. They were waiting for it to become completely dark. Then, they would move to her house.<p>

She'd tried to resist. She had, really. But the shock over Tenshi's death, and Pein's threats had left her unable to stand up to them. Konan watched over her, face twisted with remorse.

Deidara seemed to be in shock. He hadn't spoken since they'd left. He couldn't help remembering the way her face had looked after he'd kicked her through the window. She had been so shocked . . . he'd never seen anyone so shocked before. They were usually blown up before they knew what was happening.

He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel. He knew he felt strangely numb, and not much else beyond that. What did Tenshi mean to him, anyway? It was only now that she was gone that he stopped to really think about it. But he couldn't come up with an answer. He couldn't remember the way her face looked when she was angry, when she was bored, when she was tired, and he realized that he had never seen her look happy. He could only remember the shock on her face, and the horror he felt when he realized he couldn't stop. He'd hoped she would wake up and whack him over the head, because that would have meant that she was all right, that he hadn't ruined something he hadn't known _could_ be ruined. But she'd stayed, lying there, limp, her body cut and bruised by his hand, bleeding out on the couch, her cheeks that were usually flushed with anger or embarrassment now deathly pale.

He'd felt himself go numb when he'd realized what he had done, and hadn't felt anything since.

Sasori had hardly spoken either. It was simpler for him, since he was a puppet, but he still thought that if he'd been even a little faster, he could have saved her. He faced a similar dilemma as his partner. What did Tenshi mean to him? He felt something deep within, vaguely identified as sorrow. For what? What did he lose that was so important? He'd known he wanted Tenshi by his side, he'd figured that out a long time ago. He felt that she shared some similarities with him, that maybe she could understand him a little bit. Or maybe he simply liked being next to her. It was hard to tell, at this point. He couldn't remember what her presence had felt like to him.

He was angry however. _That_ emotion was easy enough to identify.

Angry at Deidara. For doing such a thing. For being such an idiot. But Sasori was a very rational person. He knew that it had been an accident. Deidara had not meant to kill her. Things had just turned out that way.

It didn't stop him from being angry, though. He just couldn't do anything about it.

What the rest of the Akatsuki felt, that was hard to say. Hidan only cared because they'd been displaced from what was a pretty comfortable arrangement (Tenshi was a good cook). Kakuzu couldn't care less, only that he'd been told Akuma was rich and saw a good chance to pawn off some items. Kisame was slightly sad, but shrugged it off due to his experience on the battlefield. Itachi did much the same. Both of them had seen death enough times to know that it was often inevitable. They'd liked Tenshi, but not enough to be upset over her death like Deidara and Sasori were. The pair's most pressing concern was now to find a place to hide.

Pein was very angry at Deidara. He'd gone against his express orders, and placed the organization in a very precarious position. He would be punished.

Konan was eaten by remorse. She'd promised Akuma that the two of them would be safe, and that promise had been broken.

Night had completely fallen. Pein rounded up his men and they were off. Akuma rode on Kisame's back, giving instructions in a broken voice.

They headed towards the mansion.

* * *

><p>Hikari sat in the waiting room. A cop stood in front of her, asking questions Hikari knew she had to lie to. Right before he'd come, Zetsu had appeared to tell her that if she gave away any information that could result in the Akatsuki being pursued, she would pay the price. Since they held Akuma hostage, she took his word for it.<p>

The cop was young and friendly-looking, with a mop of dark brown hair and hazel eyes. His suit was slightly rumpled, and he held a notepad and pen in his hands.

"There were . . . three of them. The door was unlocked, so they snuck in. I hid in the closet while she fought them." She tried to build a believable story. She did the best she could, but the idea of Dawn being killed by the Akatsuki because of something she had let slip made a tremble worm itself into her speech, a slight stutter that she hoped the cop would interpret as fright.

"Did they attack her first?"

"Yes. One of them jumped her. She fought them all at once, but she was no match. I saw it through a crack in the doors."

"Can you describe them for me?"

"I'm sorry. They had ski masks on."

The cop nodded and jotted down some notes. He smiled at Hikari. "It sounds like a robbery gone wrong to me. They must have assumed that nobody was home. I doubt they intended to confront anyone, since they weren't armed."

"How to you know they weren't armed?" Hikari asked curiously.

"There were no weapons left at the scene, for one. Also, your friend's injuries, besides the one sustained when she crashed through the window, were done barehanded."

"I see."

"If you remember anything else, give me a call." he handed her a card with a phone number on it. She barely glanced at it before tucking it into her pocket. She had no intention of calling, but she did her best to sound grateful, relieved, or whatever would make this man go away and stop asking questions.

"Thank you." she said, with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Hikari sighed in relief when he left.

She got up and looked through the glass and into the intensive care unit.

Lying on a bed, hooked up to a ventilator and poked with more tubes and needles than Hikari could count, was Tenshi. A monitor beeped along, tracking her weak heart rate and breathing.

The surgeon had said that it was a miracle. The shard of glass had gone straight through her heart, puncturing a lung in the process, and the rest of it Hikari had neither understood not tried to. All she wanted to know was, was Tenshi going to live? The doctor had been skeptical at first.

But Tenshi had hung on. Somehow . . .

Hikari lightly banged her fist on the widow and pressed her forehead against the cool glass. She was so afraid Tenshi wouldn't make it. Hikari had little family, few friends, and even though Tenshi was not exactly her friend, she still couldn't bear the thought of losing her. Of losing anyone, really.

"You're got to wake up. We're all waiting for you." she whispered.

* * *

><p>"Man, this house is huge!"<p>

"Hidan!"

"What are you yelling at me for?"

"Your voice grates on my nerves. Shut up before I rip your vocal cords out!"

"I've had enough of you two!" snapped Konan. "Keep your mouths shut."

Hidan plopped himself on the large couch and Kakuzu went to see what he could steal without getting caught.

Most of the Akatsuki were fairly impressed by the mansion that was Akuma's home. Each of them had their own bedroom, there were three large bathrooms (no more fighting over who got to shower in the morning), and Pein had his own study. The dining room was beautiful, with a long enough table to accommodate all of them, and a crystal chandelier suspended from the ceiling. The living room was huge, with enough couches to fit all of them, as well as a flat screen TV that covered nearly an entire wall, supplemented by a wide collection of DVDs. Everything was beautifully decorated, with lush plants and pieces of art tastefully arranged on the walls. There was even a replica of Tenshi's chair.

Deidara stared at it. He could almost see her lounging in it, ordering them about. His mouth twisted.

"Are you going to sit in it?" asked Sasori. Deidara shrugged and sat on the couch next to Hidan. Akuma curled up in an antique armchair, Kakuzu came back disgruntled (everything of value was bolted in place) and sat on the arm of the couch, Itachi and Kisame took another couch, Sasori sat at the foot of Tenshi's chair like he always did, and Konan stood with Pein in front of the TV, facing them all.

Once everyone was seated, he started the meeting.

"Even though we have lost our host," Cue murderous, dark, or uncaring glances at Deidara, depending on the member, "We will relocate here for the time being. Until we know the details of the situation, we will not set foot in our previous base. Once everything has settled down, I will designate two of you to go and bring back the work I have done. It might be a while, but you will behave yourselves."

A slight buzz of discussion broke out, shattered by the arrival of Zetsu. He worked himself out of the ground.

"We have warned the other girl **she won't be talking** we made sure of it."

"Good." said Pein. "Any news?"

The black half snickered unpleasantly. "I advise you to watch the 8pm news broadcast **you might get something interesting out of it**. Who knows? You hear some valuable things **when you bother to listen, idiots. Now turn on the damn TV, before you miss it and that poor girl has to tell you herself.**"

He disappeared before any of them had a chance to ask what he meant.

Kisame glanced at the old grandfather clock.

"Hey, guys? It's ten past eight."

Silence.

They all scrambled for the remote.

Deidara swiped it, Hidan knocked it out of his hand, Itachi tried to catch it but missed, it hit Kisame in the head, went skidding across the floor to the sound of curses, and was snatched up by Sasori. He turned the TV on before anyone could complain. They watched in silence.

"What did he want us to see?" said Kisame after about five minutes. "It's just the usual stuff, nothing interesting."

"Maybe we missed it." said Itachi.

"Or maybe you could all shut up and let us watch!"

"Oy, Kakuzu, you're the loudest on here!"

"Shhh, hm!"

"Don't shush me, blondie!" yelled Hidan.

"Don't call me that, hm!"

"All of you, be quiet!"

They stared. Sasori never raised his voice. He was staring wide eyed at the screen, no longer sitting.

The TV showed a picture of Tenshi's house. Sasori turned the sound up.

"Now we will talk about the incident that took place earlier this afternoon in Clairsville. At roughly five past one, three men invaded a home in broad daylight. They were attacked a girl, whose name was not released by the police as she is a minor, and fled just as the police arrived at the scene. The girl was transported to Clairsville Medical Center, where she is currently being treated for severe injuries sustained during the assault. She is reportedly in critical condition. The suspected attackers are still on the loose, so residents are being advised to stay on their guard, as the motive of the attack is still unclear. Sources close to the police have declared that they are investigating this case as a robbery attempt, though they are not discarding the possibility of a gang-related attack. According to our source, the girl who was attacked was associated with a Los Angeles gang in the past. The police are also examining the possibility that this incident and the one that took place several weeks ago at James Richard Private School are related."

They stared at the screen long after the news story was over.

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><p>I was thinking of including that character again, the one from the last chapter? I am very fond of her, and I love writing her. If enough people ask me to, I'll probably do it.<p>

Also, remember that story I mentioned a long time ago, 'And It All Comes Down To The iPod' by Amaya Sakaruta? Her and me are doing a crossover/spin-off fic. It's a collaboration between the two of us, and it's called 'Angels, Devils, and iPods.' Check it out, as well as her story, and review!

On a different note, I think this story is going to go on for a long time. I just have so much stuff I want to put in! Is this what they call plot bunnies? Funny term.

_Bonne nuit._

Peace out.


	30. Destabilization

Ah, sorry, sorry, I meant to get this posted two weeks ago, but life got in the way, shit with a friend, plus I'm suffering from jet lag. As always, I loved the reviews, they really motivate me to write more. And I've gotten such nice and funny comments, too. I love you guys. And I don't say that word lightly. Cookies and chocolate cakes all around!

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><p>I opened my eyes. Things were blurry, but I instantly knew where I was. The smell of anesthetics, the sight of vivid white, the beep of the heart monitor, and the stinging feeling of needles in my arms, things I felt and saw, everything told me I was in a hospital bed. For a second it was like no time had passed since the last time I had been in this position.<p>

My whole body was heavy and relaxed. I recognized the effects of a large dose of painkillers. Despite the heaviness in my chest, breathing was made easy by an oxygen mask. My eyes roamed across the room.

Hikari sat in a folding chair next to the open window, eyes closed, breathing softly. A breeze made the thin curtains blow in waves over her, making her vanish in and out of sight.

I tried to remember why I was here. I vaguely remembered fighting someone, but other than that, my memory was blank, blurry, and I strained to recall as far back as I could. The memories slipped away like smoke, leaving behind faint afterimages and half-formed sensations. I abandoned my attempts. Nothing would be accomplished while I was in this state.

"Hikari . . ." My voice came out weak and cracked. She jerked awake, looked around, wiped drool off her chin, and ran to my side.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! You're awake! Are you alright? Please tell me you're alright! Although you probably don't feel so well, huh? Sorry, I'm rambling, sorry, sorry!" she babbled, words tripping over themselves in her hurry to get them out.

"Hikari?"

"Yes?" she leaned forward eagerly.

"Shut up."

She shut up. A moment later a doctor walked in to ask me how I was feeling and examine me. Hikari was ejected from the room. The doctor changed my bandages, checked the various substances being pumped into my body, making sure to touch me as little as possible. I knew her. I saw her fairly often; actually, she was one of my doctors. They must have called her in from the psychiatric hospital. They knew who I was, around here. The fact that they had called this particular doctor in meant that they were afraid for my mental health. What had happened?

My senses were starting to clear, and as the painkillers wore off, pain became more and more present. That in turn served to sharpen my mind, so when she told me that the police wanted to speak with me, I didn't object. Something bad had happened, I just needed to figure out what.

I had a hard time following the conversation, but it didn't matter because I couldn't remember anything. They told me it was probably a robbery attempt, and I didn't question it. It did strike me as strange that the Akatsuki hadn't interfered. And where was Akuma? I was starting to feel anxious. Why was Hikari here? I felt pain in my arm, ribs, bruises on my face and body, as well as a lance of pain running through my back. My arm was in a sling. Weren't these injuries rather severe for a robbery?

After the police was done talking to me, the doctor gave me a fresh dose of painkillers that sent me tumbling into anxious sleep.

* * *

><p>"Pein has ordered you to return to Akuma's house. <strong>And make it quick<strong>."

Hikari swallowed heavily. She did not want to leave. She did not want to face them. She did not want to be subjected to Pein's glare.

What she wanted was to go home. But she _couldn't_ go home. She had to stay away from there until the custody battle was worked out. She knew her mom would win, but it didn't stop her dad from trying. In the meantime, she needed to stay with Akuma. This was all so complicated! Her life had been turned upside down since the day she moved in. At first she had thought it was the best thing that had happened to her, before the situation had turned wild and swept her up in its madness. Hikari was terrified.

But what choice did she have?

She snuck out of the hospital and caught a cab, giving the driver Akuma's address. She sighed at the little that was left in her wallet. Hopefully it would be enough.

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><p>"She's alive?" Kisame was the first to break the silence. Akuma took one look at him.<p>

She broke down and wailed.

"What, what? Hey, don't cry!" he said, at lost for what to do. He patted her shoulder awkwardly, feeling very confused.

"Sh-she's . . ." Akuma hiccupped. "An-angel is . . ."

"She's alive, so stop crying already!" She only cried harder. Kisame's attempts to comfort her only made it worse.

Deidara sat down heavily, his knees weak. His eyes stared straight ahead.

"Oy, Deidara? You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just fine, hm."

"You look like you saw a ghost. Were you feeling that guilty about killing Tenshi?" said Itachi. That roused Deidara. He flushed in anger.

"I did not, hm!"

"If you say so."

"Don't look down on me! Why would I feel guilty? It was her fault, hm!"

"Deidara, you should shut up now." warned Kisame as Akuma gritted her teeth and glared. Deidara gulped. She looked like a tiny feral cat about to rip him to pieces.

He did feel guilty, as a matter of fact. But he would die before admitting it to these guys. He would also give up his arm before admitting to the feeling of relief that had flooded him when he heard that she was alive.

Akuma jumped on him. Before he could get her off, she had scratched his face and kicked him in the shins a couple of times. She was hauled off by Kisame, still kicking and clawing at empty air.

"What do we do?" asked Itachi after Kisame had gotten Akuma under control. He kept a firm grip on her arm, as she glared murderously at Deidara, emitting a little hiss every now and then.

"We do nothing. For now, at least." said Pein. "We will wait until the girl gets here, and we will act according to the information she gives us. If Tenshi is in a position to betray us, we will take action."

"What the hell does _that_ mean?" yelled Akuma. She tried to get Kisame off her, to no avail. "What are you going to do? You promised you wouldn't kill her! You promised, Konan!"

Konan's face twisted slightly. "So I did. I will keep my promise. I doubt Tenshi would betray us, but if she does, we will erase the minds of whoever she has told. We will then erase her memories of the incident."

Akuma's eyes widened. "You're going to brainwash her? You can't do that!"

"The only alternative is execution. I am sorry, Akuma, but that is what we will do. Remember, this is only if she betrays us. If she doesn't talk, we have no reason to 'brainwash' her, as you say."

"This all strikes me as a complicated way to go about it." Kakuzu jumped in. "Why don't we just kill her and be done with it? It would be more efficient, wouldn't you agree?"

"I'm with this guy." said Hidan.

Itachi shook his head slightly. "No. It would cause an even bigger uproar should she be killed, or even simply disappear. I cannot erase that many minds; besides the issue of tracking them all down, her family, the authorities, any people who might have heard of it through word of mouth, I cannot use my Sharingan at a rate fast enough to keep up with the rumors. We would be discovered anyway, perhaps even faster. A robbery is common enough, but a murder or disappearance make people talk. Another issue is the fact that Akuma's willingness to serve as host would be impaired, making her more likely to unveil us, leading to the same problems as with Tenshi. In conclusion, letting Tenshi live would be the ideal path. The most . . . efficient path."

Everyone was silent. Itachi cleared his throat.

"As Itachi has said, we will not kill Tenshi." said Pein after what seemed like a very long time.

Akuma was white as a sheet, but there wasn't much she could do. At least their lives were safe, thanks to Itachi. She silently thanked him, trying to show it in the gaze she directed at him.

The doorbell rang, and the massive door creaked open.

"Hello?" Hikari's voice called out. Soon she poked her head in tentatively. She was a mess. Her red hair was out of its usual side ponytail, her clothes were rumpled, and there were large bags under her eyes. She tiptoed in, like a deer forced to enter the wolf's den.

"Report."

She flinched under Pein's sharp tone. Her eyes shifted down, to the side, down, and stayed there. Her fingers tugged nervously at her top.

"I told them it was . . . robbers. Three, robbers. The police seem to have bought it. I didn't tell anything about you guys. I swear. Really!"

"Good."

She relaxed a bit, though her eyes still furtively darted around the room, pausing for a second on Deidara, before resuming their dance. He looked like he wanted to ask her something. She bit her lip.

"Tenshi is . . ." she started, trying not to look at him, to not make it seem like she was answering his unspoken question. Instead she tried to focus on Sasori, or better yet Akuma, but she was too nervous to keep her gaze steady. "They think Tenshi will be fine. I think. They weren't too sure, 'cause she just woke up and all, but they say it's a miracle she survived. She had a big piece of glass stuck in her back, I think it was about five inches or something . . . or maybe it was six, I don't know, I didn't see it." she was speaking very fast by now. "She doesn't remember . . . she says she doesn't remember, I've told her the story, you know, about the robberies, she bought it, I think, she wasn't looking too awake, I think it's the painkillers, they make her drowsy and stuff like that. I don't know anything else, I swear!" Hikari looked like she was about to break down completely.

"Kisame, let go!" Akuma hissed. He did so, and she went to pat her friend on the back. "It's okay, as long as she's fine. We'll go see her tomorrow, 'kay?"

"O-okay. She should be better tomorrow."

"May I come?" asked Sasori.

"Sure. Anyone is welcome." Akuma smiled. She doubted they would try anything in a hospital. Besides, Tenshi liked Sasori. It might cheer her up to see him, and he would no doubt feel (if that was the correct word) better if he saw that she was alright with his own eyes. No matter his condition as a puppet, he seemed to genuinely care for her, though perhaps in a twisted way. Akuma's smile widened.

"I want to go, hm."

"_No!"_ Everyone said in unison.

"Why not, hm?" he said angrily.

"Did he seriously just ask that question?" said Akuma.

"I believe he did." said Kisame.

"Idiot." sighed Itachi.

"A fucking moron, that's what he is!"

"We are in agreement." said Kakuzu.

"Deidara." said Pein, making all the members shut up. "You are not allowed near Tenshi. As a matter of fact, we have not discussed your punishment yet."

Everyone held their breaths.

* * *

><p>The painkillers had worn off. I was alone in my room. They told me my brother would be here to see me soon, tomorrow probably. He went to college across the country, so a flight wouldn't much time. My parents would come along in a week or so, whenever they could catch a flight of their own. I could already see their disappointed faces as they touched down, the vacation they took to get away from me ruined by yours truly. It's not like I didn't know I was the one they wanted to get away from. I was far from stupid. In a petty way I was glad to have ruined their vacation plans.<p>

I didn't want to see them. I threw my arm over my face, blocking out the little light that came from underneath the door. As for my brother, I didn't really care. I hadn't seen him in years, really, ever since they kicked him out of the house, and I knew he only came because they needed an adult to make the decisions till my parents arrived. Since my sister was in Europe, he was the closest one. Maybe I should get him to sign a DNR, just in case.

But it was only a passing fantasy. I returned my attention to my lapsing memory. I vaguely recalled being underneath a starry sky. The thing that stood out the most was when I had grasped a star. I extended my hand above me, and stared hard, willing it to show. There was nothing there. Of course. I was no stranger to hallucinations, ever since the age of twelve when some guys gave me shrooms, but this one felt real, even though I could only recall bits and pieces of it. A girl with red hair, a cage, incandescent chains, a sea of stars under my feet. Conversation that went round and round, a laugh that made my head spin. But the most vivid was when I had grasped that star.

I let my arm fall to the mattress with a muffled thump. No use thinking about it. It wasn't real.

I sighed. I couldn't sleep. There was a book that a nurse had given me, it didn't look interesting, but I had nothing else to do. I turned on the light and twisted to reach the book with my good arm.

Two red, slanted eyes stared into mine. A pouting mouth smirked at me. Black cat ears poked up tough short tousled blood-red hair

"Hello." the mad god said pleasantly. "How've you been?"

I screamed.

* * *

><p>I'm including the demon girl, since I thought of a good way to use her. I just need to find a name for her because I don't want to use any of her real names in here. Any suggestions?<p>

By the way, I've been asked about pairings, specifically Tenshi's because Akuma is not going to have one. I really have no idea, so I'm going to do a poll on my profile page. I can't say if it'll affect the story at all, but I'm actually pretty curious about what you guys think. I'm guessing most of you will pick Deidara or Sasori, but I'll put the other members on anyway.

So review! I'd love to make it to 300!

Peace out.


	31. The Truth Hurts

Hello once more. Here is a new chapter, I'm not too sure about some of the stuff in it, but who cares. It strikes me as depressing, though.

Once again, I urge you to review, and go vote on that poll. A note in the review doesn't count. Go vote. At the time I am writing this, things are about fifty fifty.

Review.

* * *

><p>"We're here to see Angelique Blanc. I'm her friend, Dawn Sanders."<p>

Akuma stood in the hospital lobby, along with Sasori, Konan, and Itachi. Her foot tapped nervously on the ground and her teeth ground together in an unpleasant manner. Her long hair was tied up in a high ponytail with a fuzzy pink hair tie. The receptionist told them to wait for a while, so this is what they did.

"Calm down." said Itachi.

"Easy for you to say." Her foot tapped faster. As she was wearing high heeled shoes in an effort to compensate for her lacking height, the noise was awful.

"There is no need to be nervous. Tenshi is going to be fine."

"How do _you_ know?" she asked accusingly.

"Tenshi is strong."

"She's not as strong as she'd like to be."

"Perhaps."

"I mean, she's really only stable when I'm around. You've never seen her when I've been away from her this long." Akuma bit her lip. "She needs me. That's why I'm worried. I promised myself that I'd stay with her, even after her parents came back. I realized that, after you guys came. I'm the only one who can take care of her. I'm the only one who can help her, so I have to be by her side. I can't afford . . . I have to be with her as much as possible, is what I'm saying."

Itachi turned his unwavering gaze upon Dawn, and observed her intently. She ignored him, going back to taping her shoe on the ground.

After some time, he said "You are a very foolish girl."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she said angrily.

"You are foolish. That is all I meant."

"How dare you! You don't know anything about us! Nothing at all! What gives you the right to say something like that?"

"I observe, and analyze. The relationship you have with Tenshi is detrimental to the both of you. In the long run, you are only hurting Tenshi by staying with her."

Akuma glared hatefully at Itachi. He looked down at her with empty, judging eyes.

She slapped him across the face.

"Akuma! What are you doing?" Konan grabbed her wrist. Akuma struggled with tears in her eyes. "What's gotten into you?"

"He deserved it! He deserved it! Saying things like that!" She pulled her arm out of Konan's grasp and roughly grabbed the front of Itachi's shirt. "Take it back! Take it back! It's not true!"

She cried as he looked down at her, one small hand clutching his shirt, the other pounding weakly against his chest. He stood silently, saying nothing, showing no emotion.

Sasori surveyed the scene with a frown. Konan stood, unable to think of what she should do.

Finally Itachi gently took Akuma's wrists. "I am sorry to have upset you. But I stand by my words." He let go of them. Her arms fell to her sides as she hiccuped.

"Why . . . why would you say something like that . . ." she wiped her face with her sleeve. He didn't answer, and she gradually stopped crying. She sat down on one of the waiting room chairs, and Konan quickly sat down next to her. She patted the younger girl's back.

"I'm sorry. I caused a scene."

"It's alright. You should apologize to Itachi later, though."

"I know I shouldn't have hit him. But he shouldn't have said something like that."

"He apologized, didn't he? You don't have to do it right now, but I know you. You'll feel better if you do."

"I know. I'll do it later. I want to see Tenshi."

"It won't be long, I'm sure."

"I hope so."

It took a long time. People came and went, but whenever Konan went to enquire to the receptionist, she was given only vague information. This made Sasori especially uneasy. Something was not right. Akuma had curled up in the plastic chair, leaving her high heels on the floor, eyes red and dazed, her arms wrapped around her knees.

"Why can't we see her?" she asked Konan.

"I don't know. We were told to wait just a little longer."

"I don't get it. Normally we should be able to go right in to her room."

"Maybe she's still in intensive care."

"Hikari said she wasn't."

They kept waiting.

Outside, the sun was setting, bathing the room with a golden orange glow. Visiting hours were over. Everybody had gone home. Konan starting to think about mentioning the time to Akuma. Maybe they should go home as well. She was starting to fall asleep.

Just when she was about to talk to Akuma a doctor came up to them. He was in his mid-thirties, tall, nondescript. He had on a grave expression, tired, dreading, but hard as steel.

"Doctor Nearest?" mumbled Akuma. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to get to you. An emergency surgery came up."

"Why did you need to see me?" she stood, shaking slightly on numb legs, the fading sunlight like a halo around her head.

"Angelique is, as for the manner of her physical health, going to be fine. I operated on her myself, and I was able to repair the damage. However, I doubt she will be able to participate in any physical activity for a while. Now, her mental health, that is another question."

"Doctor?"

"Angelique has been transferred to a mental hospital near here."

"Why? She's alright, isn't she?"

"Dawn, you know better than to ask that. Angelique has been unstable for the past two years. With this recent trauma, we are afraid her PTSD has gotten worse. The hallucinations have changed. She needs to be monitored closely for the next several weeks."

"I see . . . they've changed, how, exactly?"

"She is now seeing and talking to a fully constructed personality. This had never happened before." he sighed. "We were hoping that she was getting better. We hadn't seen her in a long time, which was a good sign. Her blood work also showed that she had no trace of any of her usual medication in her system, so not only was she doing better, but she did it without relying on drugs. This is very good news. It gives us reason to hope for improvement."

"Are you sure? That's great!"

"However, there is something I must ask you."

"What is it?"

"I have to ask you not to see Angelique anymore."

* * *

><p>"This place is . . . quaint." the mad god snickered.<p>

"Shut up." I growled, curled into a ball on my side, in my hard bed.

"I like it better than the place we were in before. It's a bit homier. The flower vase is a nice touch. Even if both the flowers and the vase are made of plastic. It's not what I'd have imagined the loony bin to be like."

"I said, SHUT UP!" I yelled, throwing my pillow. It passed through her and hit the wall with scarcely a sound. She put her hands on her hips and frowned.

"Don't yell at me!"

"You got me here in the first place! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, first option is that I'm a figment of your imagination. As I'm not, that option is out."

"Why _bother _mentioning it then?"

"Just to cover our bases. Now, I'm here because I saw an opportunity to have a bit of fun, and I took it. I was getting sick of that cage anyway."

"Weren't you going to destroy everything when you got out? Then get to the destroying part and leave me the hell alone already!" I got up and fetched my pillow, curling back up with my head buried in it.

"I can't. I'm not free. My body is still caged up in my own universe, I only sent my mind through the hole you made when I sent you back. In a sense, I hitched a ride through your mind. I must say, it is quite chaotic in there."

"Oh yeah? Can't you hitch a ride back?"

"When you die, yes, the link will be broken."

I sat up abruptly. "You mean, you'll be here _forever_?"

"No. Just until you die. Relax, it should only be forty years or so, maybe thirty. You strike me as the type to die young."

I was speechless. I was not going to lug around a crazy god with cat ears and an annoyingly superior attitude my whole life!

"Isn't there some way you can, you know, _go away_?"

She shrugged. "I suppose I could go farther from you when you're asleep. When you're awake, though, I think I can only stray about ten feet away."

I rubbed my hands vigorously over my head. Ah, this was annoying! I didn't have time for this! Akuma must be worried, and who knows what the Akatsuki were up to! I had to get out of here!

The mad god sat down on the window sill, looking at me with amusement, a slight grin tracing her face. For a moment I thought she was going to disappear and leave only that annoyingly mysterious grin behind. She looked exactly as she had before; blood red hair and eyes, black ears and twin tails, thin body bandaged up. There was one detail I noticed now that she was closer; her left eye was bisected by a large, ugly scar that ran from her temple to the corner of her mouth, leaving it white and unseeing. I wanted badly to believe what they had told me, that she was only a hallucination, but I couldn't bring myself to forget the feeling of the star in my hand. She was real. She was here.

But no one else could see her. No one could even touch her.

I knew what I had to do to get out of here. Pretend I was fine. Say some random bullshit during therapy, take the drugs, keep my head low, make them believe that there was nothing wrong with me. That would be a challenge, because they knew me as a liar here. I had a habit of conning any shrink that tried to examine me. In the end, they always gave me drugs because talk therapy never worked. Group therapy was an even worse failure.

It might take a while, but I felt confident that they would let me out. In the meantime, I had to keep from losing my mind. Without Akuma around, I could already feel myself grow anxious. There would be no hiding from the nightmares tonight.

I wasn't alone, though. The mad god would keep me company, maybe she could even help me. I narrowed my eyes at the thought. Maybe . . .

"Hey, what's your name?" I asked her. She cocked her head to the side.

"Don't you remember? We had the conversation before. I don't have one."

"Should I give you one, then?"

"You have something in mind, don't you? A deal, perhaps?"

"How did you guess?"

"We're related, after all. A superior intellect was granted to both of us. While I cannot know everything here as I did back there, I am still smart. Perhaps smarter than you, since I'm much older."

"I see. In this world, you're 'merely smart.'"

"Touché. Now, what's on your mind?"

"I need to get out of this mess you put me in. Since you came in through my mind, do you have any control over it?"

"Close to none. Whatever I could do would need to be accomplished while you are asleep, and even then, my grasp is too tenuous to really make an impact. Why?"

"Would you be able to keep me from having nightmares?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Of course. I could block them, but they would hit even stronger after I released my hold. I wouldn't advise it."

"I don't care about any of that. I need you to do it."

"Why?" she sounded genuinely curious.

"Because they'll know. I need to get out of here, so I need to fake being okay. That means no nightmares."

"I see. You have a deal, but only because things are boring, and I did not come here to be bored. You know, that is quite like you, running away from your problems."

"How would you know anything about that?" I snapped.

"I know everything about you. Remember, I took a trip through your mind to get here. I daresay I know you better than you know yourself. Everything you unconsciously thought, everything you forced back down, the inner workings of your mind are incredibly complex, a beautiful machinery, so vast and promising, yet clogged down with rot. You're rotting, my dear, from the inside out. Did you think that running away ever solved anything? Hah, don't make me laugh." she snickered.

I couldn't say anything. I was far too angry to articulate a single word. She jumped down and sat cross-legged at the foot of my bed. I recoiled, though I knew she could not touch me. Her eye, red as blood, glinted in a sinister manner, as she smiled a fang-bearing grin. Fear coursed through me, dousing the anger, choking my voice and making my hands tremble.

"You see, I noticed a funny thing, in that mind of yours. You so desperately want to forget, it's funny, so did I, we are alike in that sense. But you, you use people in order to do that. Like you use that girl, Akuma, isn't that her name?"

"How do you . . ."

She clicked her tongue. "Still talking here. When a mad god talks, you'd better listen. I know why you can't let anyone touch you. You hate people, don't you? You dislike them because of the potential they have to hurt you. A stranger could pretend to befriend you and then stab you in the back, literally or not. A deep mistrust rooted in fear makes you hate and resent anybody you meet, and letting them touch you is practically an invitation for them to hurt you! But then, how can you forget? All alone with your memories and thoughts eating away at you, forgetting would be impossible. So then, what to do, what to do indeed? You parents? Don't understand a thing! Who else then? The one person you trusted? The one person you think cares about you? The one person too _weak_ to hurt you? Why, Akuma of course!"

"What are you saying?" My voice shook. "That I'm just . . . using Akuma?"

"Not consciously, of course. You care so much about her, it would be sickening if I hadn't been there myself. But the motive for the fact that you care, ah, that is _much_ less pure. Around her, you can forget. You can be at some semblance of peace. Even better, there is no threat of physical harm, since she's so weak you can easily overpower her! But that doesn't make anything go away, just like the nightmares; it only makes it worse for when you are _not_ with her! So you keep on rotting, slowly but surely, that wonderful mind of yours crumbling away. How sad, how sad indeed. Aren't you pathetic?"

"You're lying." I whispered. "None of that is true . . . it's a lie . . ."

"I saw it. You can believe me, or you can't. Actually, those, what are they called, Akatsuki, that's another funny story."

"The . . . Akatsuki?"

"Oh yes. They serve the same purpose to you as Akuma does, perhaps they even do the job better than her. They distract you. Whether it's Deidara making you angry, Sasori keeping you company, Konan trying to learn how to cook to ease your work load, Hidan whining and getting yelled at by Kakuzu, Itachi always getting the books wrong, Pein's superior attitude and condescension, or Kisame's antics with the television, all of them serve a purpose to you, keeping your mind occupied so you can't poke at your wounds an wallow in your pain. You don't realize it, but the reason you've gotten better is that you are not alone anymore. That's the saddest thing, really, you don't want to be alone, unconsciously of course, but you hate and fear everyone around you. That makes everything worse, a vicious cycle of needing and resenting humanity. Do you understand? Or are you too shocked to answer?"

"I get it . . ." I said, numb from my fingers to my toes. "I was forced to take them in . . . I didn't have a choice, you're saying it made me better?"

"On a superficial level, sure. You're still running away, so you're still rotting. If you want to run, that's up to you. But in terms of allowing you to forget your problems, yes, they helped you."

I curled back into a ball, her words running through me like knives. Tears welled up in my eyes.

"Oh, you're starting to realize it, eh? I hope you'll appreciate them a little more. Now, what do you truly feel about those guys? About their presence? What do you truly think? Be honest now. There's no meaning otherwise. Remember, I won't tell anybody. You can trust me."

I thought about it. It was so painful, shifting through my thoughts and all the feelings I'd buried for so long. I couldn't stop myself from doing it, although my whole being cried at me to stop, stop doing this, turn back, don't dig anymore . . . Deeper and deeper, more and more painful, I remembered the day when I'd woken up after I had fallen ill. We'd all watched TV together, eating bad takeout food and . . . laughing. I'd laughed. I'd fallen asleep, without having any nightmares. I'd felt safe, relaxed, warm.

I realized that I wanted to go back. It hit me like a train. I needed to go back. In that house, with those people I thought I hated, to those days where I never had to face myself. It was pure cowardice. It was what I had been doing, what I knew I had to keep doing. I was far too afraid of facing the things that were eating at me from the inside, but I didn't care. Just keep on running, keep buying time until it catches up, and hope it never does. Pathetic, truly pathetic, wasn't it, my desire to lose myself, my desire to abandon myself, to leave it behind to rot and die. So far, I was doing a fantastic job. But still, even though I knew all this, nothing changed, I couldn't change anything. I had to keep losing myself.

"I want to go back . . . I want to see them again . . ." I started crying, silently, while the mad god looked on with a pitying eye. I sniffed and hiccuped, making as little noise as possible, curled into a ball, my knees to my chest, tears running down my face, my eyes growing red.

I eventually burrowed under my cover, sobbing like a pathetic child. She sat next to me, and stroke ethereal hands through my hair, until I fell asleep.

* * *

><p>What do you think? Depressing, huh? I am so cruel to my characters, aren't I. I guess I'm feeling a bit melancholic at the moment. Maybe it's because school is starting soon.<p>

Review. And vote.

Peace out.


	32. Parting and Reunion

New chapter, kind of rushed, but I have to go to bed. School started, and my schedule is awful. I start at eight and finish at six nearly every day, on top of which I'm probably going to have class on Saturdays. So, don't be surprised if my updates slow down. I'm in my final year of high school, so work will be piled on.

That said, please review, and vote on my poll. Interestingly, Sasori is leading now. Huh. And some people voted for Hidan and Konan, which I thought was somewhat random, but I'm always happy to hear people's opinions on the subject.

I'll stop rambling. Review and vote!

* * *

><p>Akuma's eyes went wide. She could hardly hear anything. The doctor's mouth moved and his hands nervously grasped his clipboard. Her heart pounded through her ears, the blood rushing with a hollow sound.<p>

_Ba-bump. Ba-bump._

Her hands and feet were numb. On the edge of her vision, the sunlight flowing through the windows glowed gold, framing the blurred image of the doctor. She could only see his lips move. The words infiltrated her brain.

_Ba-bump. Ba-bump._

She felt something wet on her cheeks. A hand on her shoulder, so far away. Roughly shaking her.

_Ba-bump. Ba-bump._

"Akuma!"

She came to in a snap. Her hand went to her face and traced the tears that silently flowed.

"What did you . . . say?" she asked, in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "I didn't hear . . . could you explain it again?"

The doctor sighed. He ran an exhausted hand through his hair. "To put it simply, Angelique is too dependent on you. She is barely able to function on her own. That is not conductive to a full recovery. We have seen that her condition can improve, without medication, while in your care. The next step is . . . cutting the cord, if you will. Her psychiatrist believes that she can improve on her own, a desirable outcome for everyone."

"Why?" Akuma whispered. She lowered her head so that her eyes were clouded in shadows.

"Excuse me?"

"Why? Why? Why?" her voice rose.

"Because you cannot possibly be there to take care of her for the rest of your life." he said. "Angelique needs constant supervision, an adult caregiver to watch over her. You are sixteen years old, Dawn! You cannot possibly take care of her on your own. Simply from a legal standpoint it is not possible. Her parents could face child endangerment charges for leaving her like they did. It is fortunate nothing happened."

"Are you saying I can't take care of her?"

"Listen, Dawn, you are too young to do this. Think of you own future, can you see yourself working, raising a family while taking care of her?"

"She'll be better by then." Akuma gritted her teeth.

"Without treatment, that is unlikely. You must also consider Angelique's future, how can she live a normal life if she is unable to leave your side?"

"That's not true . . . that's not true . . ."

"Dawn. You have to let her go."

"SHUT UP!"

Konan grasped Akuma's wrists as she lunged at the doctor, tears pouring down her face.

"What the hell do you know about her?" she yelled. "You don't know anything! You can't do anything, you can't help her, you can't make her better! You hates every last one of you!"

"Akuma . . ." Konan whispered as she held the struggling girl back.

"You have no idea what you're doing! I'm the only one who understands her, she won't stand a chance without me! She _needs_ me! I won't let you take her away!"

"Akuma." Itachi put his hand on her shoulder. Her head whipped around to face him. "Stop this. It will do no good. He is right."

"No! No, he's not! I'm telling you, she needs me!"

"It may be so. But you are acting irrationally. Think about it once you have calmed down." Akuma tried to shrug him off, but his hand pressed down harder. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second before Akuma lowered her head and bit her lip, fresh tears welling up, arms clutched around her midsection. She nodded, imperceptibly.

He turned to the doctor, and bowed. "I apologize for her behavior. We will be leaving now. Thank you for taking care of Angelique."

"Yes . . . yes, you're welcome."

Itachi gently grabbed Akuma's wrist and tugged her towards the exit. Konan had her arm around the girl's shoulder as they left. Akuma tried to look back, but they made her press on.

Sasori stayed behind, wordlessly signaling to Itachi that he'd be right behind them.

"What can you tell me about Angelique's condition?" he asked the doctor.

"I'm sorry, but you are?"

"A friend. I have been living with her for a while, but I don't know much about her condition. I am concerned about her."

The doctor considered it. "There are patient confidentiality clauses, but I suppose it wouldn't do much harm, since you are a friend. I find it encouraging that she is widening her circle. Who knows, perhaps that is the reason she has been doing better. You see, Angelique suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder."

Sasori's eyes widened slightly. "Was she in some kind of accident?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know the details. She moved to this area two years ago, and has not chosen to tell me. The only information I have is related to the medication she takes, and is transferred to me by the Blossom Hill Mental Hospital. Her psychiatrist would know, however."

"And who would that be?"

"Doctor Rosenterm. She works at Blossom Hill."

"I see. Thank you very much for your time." He bowed slightly and hurried to join the rest of the party.

Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows of the setting sun, Deidara narrowed his visible eye.

"Blossom Hill Mental Hospital . . . hm." he whispered to himself. He watched carefully as Konan and Itachi loaded Akuma into a taxi. There was a short discussion between them, and Itachi sat in the front. As Sasori was about to get in, he shot a glance directly at Deidara's hiding place. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second. Deidara's heart skipped a beat. He thought his partner would call him out, but he simply got into the taxi after a moment's hesitation. Deidara held his breath until the vehicle was out of sight.

He breathed out in relief, then grinned to himself. This whole thing was starting to pay off. It had been easy to sneak off without anybody noticing, and then it had been a simple matter of following them. He'd had to run pretty fast, but he'd relished the opportunity to run all out. He hadn't been able to let loose in a long time. Now, if only he could find some clay . . .

He shook his head. _'Keep your mind on track, hm.'_ he thought as he pulled out the map he'd acquired at Akuma's house. It didn't take him long to locate his destination on it. It would take several hours, if he ran. Easy. But it would be much easier if he had his clay. On his bird, it would take less than an hour, and under the cover of night, he would not have to worry about being spotted.

The sun had now completely set. After one last glance at the map to make sure he knew his trajectory, he set off.

He arrived around midnight. Blossom Hill Mental Hospital was a large white building four stories high, perched like a citadel on top of a grassy hill. Birch trees surrounded a winding road going up to the entrance. It was quiet and peaceful. The only lights came from the ground floor, the thin moon overhead peeking from behind wispy clouds, and the sparse stars dully glinting in the black sky. Deidara ran up to the wall, and looked around. There seemed to be very little security around the building. He sneaked over to the entrance. A nurse was working behind the desk, but other than that the lobby was empty. Deidara silently swore. This was a quick moment where he wished Itachi was here, or even Sasori. He could have distracted her with a bomb, but he didn't have any of those, either.

Deidara backed away and looked up. As luck would have it, there was an open window on the third floor. He made a hand sign, sent chakra to his feet, and ran up the wall. He swung through the window, quickly looking around. There was no one. He stalked quietly down the hall, checking the names on the room doors. He was about to go check the second floor, having found nothing, when he did a double take. He nearly slapped his hand over his face. He kept forgetting Tenshi's real name was Angel-something or whatever. It sounded too long for him to bother remembering it. Besides, 'Tenshi' suited her much better.

The door was locked, of course, but her room was on the side of the hall with windows. Deidara went back out the open window and walked sideways across the wall, finally arriving at Tenshi's window.

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><p>I was lying in bed, wide awake, watching the red-haired girl cover the walls in flaming designs that burned brightly in the night. She seemed to be writing kanji, for some reason, tracing them expertly with her fingertips, stepping on imaginary steps to reach higher up the wall, all the way to the ceiling. Her hand wove the intricate symbols in a hypnotic dance. I sat up.<p>

"What the hell are you doing? I can't sleep!"

"You wouldn't be able to sleep anyway." she shot back. "And I was bored."

"Where did you even learn kanji?"

"That's a secret." she snickered. She finished drawing the character for 'angel'

I sighed. "You're going to drive me crazy . . ."

"You're already half-way there, you don't need any help on_ my_ part."

"Shut up!"

There was silence for a moment while she admired her work. Suddenly she started speaking again, while I silently begged for her to shut up.

"Have you come up with a name for me? I find being nameless to be an unpleasant experience, and one that has been going on for a long time. Think of a name." she commanded.

"Why should I? You have your own name, don't you?"

"I told you, I don't remem . . ."

"Oh, not this again! Fine, I'll think of something!"

"You do that."

"Now can you please make those go away?"

"No. Give me a name."

I nearly screamed in frustration. It only took me a second to find what I wanted to call her. "Fine! Your name will be . . . Kyouki."

"Explain the logic." she frowned.

"It means 'madness, insanity'. As you obviously are, and I'm heading there anyway, let's commemorate it, why don't we!" I said with heavy sarcasm. "It's the only name I can think of right now, because I'm deliriously tired and drawings that aren't even there are keeping me up, and I just want to sleep!"

"I suppose it will do." she sniffed. I wanted to strangle her.

It was getting hot in here. Maybe it was because there were a bunch of flaming drawings on my wall that I knew only I could see, so they probably had no physical effects, but they still made the room hot and bright. I opened the window, silently thankful they hadn't given me one with bars (apparently I wasn't a suicide risk anymore), and nearly screamed again as a yellow blur shot past me and into my room.

Deidara grinned at me. Suddenly jumping out the window seemed like a good idea.

As I glared at him, shocked beyond words, Kyouki decided to add in her two cents.

"Hah. I suppose I can see why you think he's attractive." My cheeks flushed, even though I know Deidara could neither see not hear the mad god taking up residence in my head.

Yeah. I wanted to strangle her.

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><p>Thanks to everybody who tried to help with Kyouki's naming. I appreciate it.<p>

Review and vote, people! I need motivation. Seriously, so much work to do . . . so many hours of class . . . kill me now.

_Bonne nuit._

Peace out.


	33. Interview

Okay guys, here's the deal. I'm sick, so this chapter is too be taken with a grain of salt, as I'm not thinking too clearly right now. Unfortunately, I wanted to update while I had time to write. So here it is, a little short. Also, review. I was disappointed by the low number of reviews I got for the last chapter. Does anyone think this is ending? Because it's not, at least for a pretty long while.

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><p>I sat on one end of my bed, legs tucked up to my chest, trying to put as much distance between Deidara and myself. He laid sideways, legs hanging off the edge, one elbow on the bed with his hand supporting his head. His hair pooled underneath him, turned a silver color by the moonlight streaming in through the open window. He was smiling lazily at me, completely confident that I couldn't do a damn thing about him being here. I drew my legs closer to my chest, eying him warily. Kyouki was kneeling by the side of the bed, just high enough for her to rest her head on her crossed arms. I had to force myself to not glance over at her. Thankfully, she didn't move an inch. She wasn't even staring at me with those big eyes of hers; she seemed to be almost sleeping.<p>

"How've you been?" Deidara asked suddenly.

"Aside from almost dying, just peachy." I drawled.

"Do you remember anything, hm?" A frown appeared on his face.

"No, why do you ask?"

"Just curious." he shrugged, an awkward motion in his position, the frown disappearing. He sat up and swung his legs up on the bed, crossing them, so that we were now face to face. "I want to talk to you, hm."

"About what?" I said after he failed to elaborated on that rather puzzling statement.

"What's with you and Sasori?" he said bluntly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"What do you think of him?" he pressed.

"None of your damn business."

"Come on, tell me, hm!" He was getting irritated. I sighed, and gave in.

"I don't know what I think of him. I don't feel as uncomfortable around him as I usually do around people. He's nice to talk to, I guess."

The frown returned, along with an annoyed twist of the mouth. He didn't say anything for a while. I would have stood up to him a bit more, but right now I simply didn't have the emotional energy to put up a fight. I felt drained and tired.

"Do you feel uncomfortable around me?" he asked.

"Of course!" I blurted out without thinking. His displeased expression grew more pronounced, along with a hint of curiosity.

"Why?"

"I don't know!"

"Are you afraid I'll hurt you, hm?"

"I really don't know! I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Well I do. Come on, what do you think about me?"

"I'm not going to answer that! And of course you'll hurt me! That's what criminals do, they hurt people! In my case since you don't have clay, you'll probably strangle me on a whim!"

He looked genuinely offended. "I wouldn't strangle you, or blow you up, hm."

"Yes you would!" I raised my voice.

"No, I wouldn't, hm!"

"Stop that! You would and you know it!"

"You are such a stupid girl, hm!" he was nearly yelling. "I would never hurt you, hm! Why do you have to be so damn paranoid about me, hmmm? What the hell is wrong with you, hmmmm?"

"What's wrong with me? What about you?" My voice rose an octave. My cheeks flushed with anger. "You're the sadistic, egomaniac, pyromaniac, stalker, art-obsessed bomber with a fetish for explosion!"

"I do not have a fetish for explosions, hmmm! And how am I a stalker, hmmm?"

"Oh please, you follow me everywhere! I can't turn around without you hovering around, annoying the hell out of me! You even followed me all the way here into the loony bin! And stop it with that stupid verbal tick, it is driving me insane!"

"I do not have a tick, hmmm!"

"Yes you do, you stupid, arrogant . . ." I was about to screech an insult when I suddenly felt so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open. I didn't even have the energy to keep my legs tucked up to my chest. I spread them out in front of me, and due to the limited space, my feet nearly touched him. He wanted to keep yelling, but took one look at me and said

"Are you alright, hm?"

"I'm tired." I said simply. I threw my arm over my face. I didn't want to look at him right now. He was close; I could feel his body heat in the cold room. I shivered, but I didn't have to energy to get up and close the window.

"Tenshi?" he said.

"What?"

"I've never heard you say my name when you weren't yelling it or lecturing me, hm."

"So?"

"I want you to say it."

"I don't get it."

"Call me by my name. Not 'blondie' or anything else, hm."

I sighed. I wanted to fall sleep so badly . . . you know, it's actually a form of torture to keep someone from sleeping. It might take some time, but the subject will cave in a couple of days.

"Fine. From now on, I'll call you by your name. Happy now, you stupid prick?"

"I still have more things I want to ask, hm." I felt his weight shift on the bed, making the springs whine slightly. He was much closer now. I took my hand off my face. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at me, silvery hair cascading down his back. That one blue eye was fixed on me with an expression of intense interest, and a little . . . possessiveness? That couldn't be it. I must be hallucinating from lack of sleep. I mustered enough energy to shuffle away from him, but not very far before I hit the wall on my left. The bed was narrow enough that we were very close. Something deep inside my mind was whispering at me to get up, to fight, to run away, but I could hardly hear it. I locked eyes with him, and did not move.

"What do you want?" I asked almost plaintively. This would be so much easier if he wasn't so pushy.

"I want to know more about you, hm." he said. "I can't figure you out at all."

"Why do you even care?"

"I don't know, hm. Just tell me something about yourself."

"I'm not that interesting of a person."

"Then tell me . . .What's your favorite color, hm?"

That drew a smile from me. "That's a stupid question."

He seemed a little irritated. "It's all I could think about."

"Red."

"What's your favorite food, hm?"

"Chocolate."

"When's your birthday?"

"December eleventh."

"Where were you born?"

"France."

"What kinds of things do you like to do?"

"Listen to music. Watch anime. Bake."

"What happened to you two years ago?"

My eyes flew open. I sat up and pushed him off the bed.

"What the . . ." he staggered to his feet.

"How do you know about that? Who told you about it?" I nearly yelled. My breathing quickened, I could hear my pulse thundering through my ears. Panic flew through me, chasing the fatigue away. How did he know? How did he know? That thought went round and round, making me dizzy, my vision blurred. I was on the verge of hyperventilating; I wanted him out of here. The memory of his proximity pressed down on me, making me shudder with revulsion and fear. So close I could feel the heat from his skin, see his chest rise and fall softly, his long hair tumbling down wildly down his back, his eye staring at me, while I just lay there, under his control.

Kyouki stood up, slowly, and stared at me with empty eyes. She watched the scene, mouth twisted, a spectator to my misery. I clutched my arms around my stomach. I felt like I was going to throw up.

Deidara reached his hand towards me, and I shrunk back. Through the lens of fear I could only see one part of him at a time, magnified, overwhelming. His hand, with the slobbering mouth. His mouth tracing words I could barely hear. His eye looking down at me filled with worry and incomprehension. That look made me calm down a bit. I remembered his earlier assurance that he wouldn't hurt me. He was lying, right? There was no way that was the truth. Simply no way.

There was no rationality in any of it. Not in the way he looked at me, not in the way I reacted, not in the panic I felt, not even in his presence here. Everything was just so . . . wrong. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

"Tenshi, hm! Answer me!" The hand came down, nearing my shoulder. I shouldn't be reacting this way. I shouldn't be afraid, I should trust him. That would be logical. It would be logical not to assume he would strangle me. I had to act rationally, but the broken part of me stubbornly fought to take over and smother me with irrational thoughts.

His hand pressed down on my shoulder.

I fought with all my might not to scream and back away. I swallowed my irrational thoughts and just barely managed to choke them down.

"Deidara . . ." I said.

"Calm down, hm. I know that something happened two years ago because I was there when your doctor told Sasori. He didn't say what it was, but he said that you have PTSD. I wanted to know what happened. I can't figure you out, and I don't get why I want to. You're too confusing, it's driving me crazy, but at the same time, I want to know more about you, hm." His words had a tone I'd never heard him use before. They were comforting.

I stayed silent. He didn't say another word. His hand stayed on my shoulder.

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><p>Would this qualify as fluff? I have no idea. I feel like crap, and I'm not thinking clearly. I'm going to bed now.<p>

Review. I mean it.

Peace out.


	34. Sleep Tight

That was a fast update, wasn't it? I'm still sick, so I have time to write, but I'm feeling better, so my head isn't as scrambled. As always, review, and those who haven't voted on my poll (you know who you are) I urge you to go and do it, unless you don't care.

Also, a new chapter of _Angels, Devils, and iPods,_ the collaboration between Amaya Sakaruta and me, is out. Go and read it!

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><p>"This is a nice place." said Kisame, looking around. Akuma stayed curled on the couch, head hidden. He looked down at her, wondering what he could do to snap her out of it.<p>

"Kisame. Leave her alone." said Itachi, looking up from his book. "She received a rather violent shock."

"What happened?"

"She had her illusions shattered. That is always painful."

"OY! Guys!" They heard Hidan yell from upstairs. "Has anyone seen Deidara?"

"Isn't he in his room?" Kisame yelled back.

"If he was, I wouldn't be asking, would I?"

Kisame went upstairs to see Hidan standing in the hallway, scratching his head.

"You can't find him?"

"No. I saw him go into his room before the others left. He isn't there anymore."

"Did you look anywhere else?"

"Fuck yeah! I looked everywhere!"

They went to ask Kakuzu. "How should I know?" was the ill-tempered response. "Now get out!" He slammed the door in their faces.

"What's up with him?" Kisame asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He lost all his earnings on that site he's always on. Come on, let's go ask Konan."

But Konan didn't know either. Deidara was gone. Hikari refused to come out of her room, yelling that she on the phone, and not to disturb her.

They gathered the organization in the living room, except Pein ("Let's try to do this without telling him." said Kisame).

"Okay, guys. Deidara's missing. Who saw him last?" said Hidan.

"None of us saw him! Who cares where he is? I'm going back upstairs!" Kakuzu stormed out of the room.

"Oy, Kakuzu! Come back, you stupid . . ." Once Kakuzu was (reluctantly) back, discussion buzzed around the room, but the verdict was clear. They tried to think of what to do. They thought about going out and looking for him, but didn't know where to look in an unfamiliar world.

Akuma looked over her shoulder at the arguing ninjas. She was sick of hearing them argue, she wanted them to simply be quiet. She picked up the remote and turned on the TV, hoping the noise would drown out the bickering. She now understood why Pein had them run around in pairs instead of all together. Dealing with their differences would prove too much even for him.

It was the evening news again. She watched with unseeing eyes as reports from around the country were broadcasted. A short piece about how they had found nothing in regards to the 'robbery' at Tenshi's house, random events, 'les chiens ecrases' as Tenshi used to put it, meaning 'the dogs that got run over.' The television had, unnoticed by her, exerted its attractive influence on the Akatsuki. One by one they abandoned their argument and sat down to watch. Kisame tried to change it to his soap opera, but no one would let him.

"There's not much happening today." remarked Sasori.

"Yeah . . ." said Akuma. "Just little things that don't really matter . . . Hey wait. Looks like a breaking news report!" Her eyes widened.

"We interrupt our scheduled broadcast with a breaking news story. A series of missiles have been launched at New York City, severely damaging several buildings in an assault reminiscent of the 9/11 tragedy that took place eleven years ago. Casualties are unknown at the moment, but are estimated to be quite high due to the number of buildings hit. For now, there is no word about the origins of the attack, or how it went undetected by the military." There was a shot from above, showing trails of smoke coming from the skyscrapers. They were crumbling down with muted groans, spewing fire. The sound of sirens sounded far away, drowned out by the cacophony of the helicopter. "This is all the information we have so far. Please stay tuned for an update."

"That's awful." said Akuma.

"Are we in any danger?" asked Konan.

"I don't think so. New York is on the other side of the country. I can't believe it . . . I mean, there are a lot of countries that would like to attack us, but to do it without being noticed, I don't think any of them have the technology to do that. The military should have intercepted the missiles before they hit."

"That was some pretty extensive damage. It would take a very powerful jutsu to do that. Then again, Zetsu did mention that this world is very technologically advanced." remarked Sasori.

"This is nothing, we have bombs that can blow up whole cities, or whole countries even. We don't use them, but we still have them. And this world has some pretty nutty people in it. People who are willing to die to achieve their ideals. The attack she mentioned, 9/11? That was done by people who crashed their planes-flying machines used to travel and transport things-into buildings, killing thousands of people. We see these things a lot. Suicide bombers . . . it's horrible. You guys are better off without this kind of thing, in your world."

There was silence as she thought about the fact that she was sitting with a group that was very similar to the ones she had just spoken of. A terrorist group. One that didn't really need such technology to inflict massive casualties.

"PUT ME DOWN!"

"Stop squirming, we're here, hm!"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"There's no way . . ." said Sasori, his eyes suddenly widening, as they all turned towards the entrance of the living room. Deidara strode in, a very angry Tenshi slung over his back like a sack of potatoes.

Deidara carried me into the living room. I'd been quiet while he was running here, but by God, he was going to let me the fuck _go_.

He'd kidnapped me! That son of a bitch had actually grabbed me, put me over his shoulder unceremoniously like some sack, and jumped out the goddamned window! I'd tried kicking him, but he held my legs still with his other arm. I'd been reduced to scratching at his back, helpless. He was strong! Jesus, he was strong! I didn't know anybody could be that strong, stupid ninja. I had to give up after a while, despite the fear and panic I felt. But now . . .

"I SAID, LET ME GO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Fine, hm!" he dumped me on my ass in the middle of Akuma's living room. I got up, trembling with fury, teeth gritted, still in my hospital pajamas and my hair in disarray. I was beyond mad, I was seething with rage.

"You little . . ." I was about to punch him in the face when I was tackled from behind.

"Angel! Angel!" Akuma wailed. "I'm so glad you're okay! I thought I would never see you again!"

"Dawn . . ."

"I thought that I'd never see you again! I was so, so worried, I wanted to see you, but, but . . . "

"Wait, what in the world are you babbling about? Calm down, you idiot! I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere!"

"They told me . . . they told me . . . that they wouldn't let me see you anymore." She cried. I felt her tears falling into my hair and down my neck. I gently disengaged her arms from around my chest and faced her.

"Jeez, you're an idiot. As if I'd let them do that, who do you think I am? Stop crying, I'm here, aren't I?"

She wiped her tears and smiled. It felt so good to see her smile. It seemed like it'd been forever since I'd last seen it.

Deidara cleared his throat. I turned with a snap, a snarl returning to my face.

"Do I at least get a thank you, hm?"

I was about to yell at him again when Akuma gave him a crushing hug. I could only gape at that scene, rage completely gone.

"Thank you!" she squealed. "Thank you! I forgive you for before, 'kay? Just don't do it again."

"Don't worry, I won't." he glanced at me when he said that, and I couldn't help but feel like I was missing something. I sighed. This was too much trouble, way too much trouble. Behind me, the Akatsuki were talking amongst themselves. I turned around and gave a little wave, thinking I might has well deal with them now.

"Hey, I'm back." I said in a dead tone. "I hope you didn't get into _too_ much trouble while I was gone."

"Yeah, right! It was better while you were gone, bitch, at least I didn't have anybody bossing me around all the fucking time!"

"Oh yeah? Nice to see you too, Hidan." I waved again. "You sat in my chair, didn't you?"

"How would you even know that?"

"Oh, I'll know. And I'll be coming after you, buddy."

"It's great to have you back," Kisame intervened. "Now someone can cook! I was getting sick of ramen anyway."

"Is that all I am to you? The cook?" I said indignantly.

"And don't diss ramen!" Akuma added. "Ramen is the food of the gods!"

Itachi nodded to me while Akuma started to argue with Kisame over ramen, and they were joined by Hidan. Kakuzu barely spared me a glance before returning to his room, grumbling about having to make money. Konan told me "Welcome back. I am going to go inform Pein of your return." I answered "I really don't think he cares."

Sasori came up to me with an unreadable look on his face. "Could I speak with you? Alone?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Deidara coming towards us. His hand itched towards my arm.

"I'm still mad at you." I said to him. He grinned. "But I'll let it go, this time, because you made Akuma happy."

Sasori eyed us, a frown growing on his face. "Tenshi?"

"Yeah, let's go to my room."

I led the way up the stairs, away from Deidara, who stared after us with a displeased twist to his mouth. He almost followed us, but stopped himself. It might have been my imaginations, but I thought I saw him angrily bite his lip.

My room was as I had left it. Not very big, arranged the same way as my room back in my house. The only difference was that it had an attached bathroom, and was done entirely in midnight blue, from the walls to the carpet. I sat on my bed. It was so soft, so different than the hospital bed, that I felt like going to sleep right then and there. What Deidara had done had shocked me awake, but now the fatigue was starting to catch up with me.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I'm glad you're safe. I didn't want to wait any longer to see you again."

"Sorry. I guess I made you wait, even if it wasn't my fault." I smiled wryly.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"They sent you to the mental hospital. Why?" he sat down on the edge of my bed, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Beats me." I lied.

"Your doctor mentioned that you were hallucinating."

"I don't know. Things are a bit fuzzy." I was _not_ telling him about Kyouki. I was not telling anyone about Kyouki, ever. Speaking of which, were was she?

"Do you remember what happened? The . . . robbery?"

"No. Why does everyone keep asking me that?" I said, frustrated. "Some guys busted in, I fought them off, got in an accident. It's simple. Although," I frowned. "Why didn't you guys help me out? And the police said they didn't take anything, either. They said it might have been gang-related . . . I guess it's possible." It bit my fingernail. "That reminds me, I wanted to have a chat with old Rick. Huh . . . I guess I'll do that tomorrow. I got so caught up with you guys I forgot all about him."

He stayed silent. I shrugged. "Whatever. I don't really care, to be honest. Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

"You and the brat seem close." It took me a minute to figure out he was talking about Deidara. I shrugged again.

"He's a pain. He shouldn't have kidnapped me like that. But, I guess I should be grateful, you know? They know me at that hospital. I doubt they would have let me out anytime soon."

"Why's that?"

"I've got a habit of conning psychiatrists. I'm a good liar."

"I see. Don't leave again. Promise me you won't."

"I don't make promises."

"Why not?"

"Because promises only engage those that believe in them."

He was silent. I was silent. Finally, he stood up.

"I won't let you get hurt again. That, I can promise, even if you don't believe it. I do have one piece of advice. Don't get close to Deidara."

"Why do you say that?"

"He's the type to die young. He might take you with him."

He walked out the door. As he was about to close it, he looked back at me. This was one of the moments I hated the fact that he was a puppet. I couldn't tell what was going on behind that beautiful wooden face of his. His eyes lingered on me for a moment, not blinking, softly staring.

"Sleep tight, doll. I hope you have nice dreams."

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><p>This was a happy chapter, finally! I thought it was getting a bit depressing. Well, Tenshi's back, so it's all good. So it would seem . . .<p>

Review. I mean it.

Also, someone left an anonymous review for the last chapter, under the name 2lazy2signin, asking me what I based Tenshi's character off of. I'm going to reply here, because I can't PM them back, and I imagine other people might find this interesting.

Tenshi was originally based on a handful of my own character traits. Once I had a rough outline of her personality, I fleshed her out by making her personality more extreme, till she was her own character. I mostly let my mind wander around for that part, and since my mind tends to wander to strange places, she ended up like this. A big part of how I developed her is the aphephobia, which was consciously chosen. In a lot of stories I've read, the romance is based off of physical attraction between the characters, so I wanted to eliminate that element and see what would happen. Things snowballed from there.

I hope this answers your question. If anybody else has a question, I'll be glad to answer. Probably in a PM, though, unless you're anonymous. Then I'll just answer in the author's note.

Peace out.


	35. Isn't Lunch Interesting?

. . . Is anyone still reading?

I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've been very busy with school and college applications, so it's been hard to find the time and the energy to write. Again, I apologize. To anyone who's still sticking with me, thank you.

We've passed 300 reviews. That's absolutely amazing to me, because I never thought I would get this far. It means the world to me that people read and enjoy this story, so again, sorry, and thank you.

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><p>The next morning, I lay in bed on my stomach, my back throbbing with pain. Everything hurt, actually. Bruises, cuts, a broken bone, stitches closing up the wound on my back where the glass shard had gone in, combined to make it seem like my whole body was one big wound. I felt so heavy, I just didn't want to get up. I had slept horribly, too. The painkillers had worn off about two hours after Deidara had brought me back. Since then, after my little chat with Sasori (the meaning of which I refused to think about), I had slept on and off, lost in a delirium of nightmares and half-formed illusions.<p>

"You should get up." the dry voice at my side said. Kyouki floated near the ceiling as if she was sitting on an invisible throne, legs crossed.

"Your voice is the last thing I want to hear."

"Come on, upsy-daisy. Get some medicine and some food. You'll feel better then."

"Why are you being considerate? Oh no, wait," I interrupted her as she was about to answer. "It's boring for you if I just lie here and do nothing, right?"

"Exactly. But my advice stands."

"Yeah, yeah . . ." I pushed myself up, ignoring my screaming muscles, and tottered out of bed. I changed into the loosest t-shirt I had, and my usual jeans. Getting clothes on proved to be a challenge with a broken arm, but I managed. After that, I marched to the bathroom and looked for painkillers. We didn't have the heavy-duty kind I needed to deal with this level of pain.

With Kyouki following about a foot behind me, I delicately stepped downstairs, wincing at every step. Right now, I needed something to eat.

As I walked into the living room, I smelt the smell of burning food, something more familiar than it had any right to be. Whatever appetite I might have had was crushed.

Itachi was sitting on the couch, intently examining a brochure, his hair out of its usual ponytail and still damp from his shower. He glanced sideways at me as I gingerly tried to sit in my chair. I leaned back, slowly, wincing when my back touched the solid back of the chair, but managed it.

"Are you all right?" he asked, lifting his eyes from his reading material. It was a magazine about glasses and contact lenses.

"Sort of. Injuries are supposed to hurt."

He answered after a distinct pause had been marked. "Perhaps Sasori could help. He must know of some way to numb the pain."

Sasori, who had been otherwise occupied in the dining room, poked his head through the doorway at the sound of his name. He took one look at me, and frowned.

"There are many compounds that block pain. I could synthesize one if I had the proper materials and equipment. . ."

"Thanks, but I'd rather not." I grimaced. Itachi's eyes widened a fraction, while Sasori seemed to take it in stride and returned to whatever he was doing.

"Why would you endure it willingly?" he asked, face carefully blank as always.

"I'm not being a martyr, if that's what you're wondering, nor am I a masochist. I just know myself very well. If I forget I'm injured, I might do something to reopen my wounds."

"That hardly seems like a good reason. If you are in pain, how will you carry out your task of keeping our organization in line?" he argued.

"But if I rip my stitches and have to be sent back to the hospital, that won't do any good either. Besides," I shrugged, and winced. "I doubt there will be any fuss. Things seemed to have settled down around here. Also, there's you and Sasori and Konan. If things get bad, I trust you to handle it."

"You 'trust' us?" Itachi's mouth twitched in a smile.

"I trust in your judgment." I said simply.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me." I said bitterly. "I'm finally admitting I can't do it all by myself. Do you have any idea how annoying that is?"

The ghost of a smile grew.

"I really don't see what's so funny." I snapped.

"Yeah, Uchiha, what's so funny, hm?"

The smile disappeared. I looked to my left, where Deidara had emerged from the corridor. He did not look pleased.

"What were you guys talking about, hm?"

"Nothing that concerns you." Itachi said, softly folding his magazine and rising with the grace of a wild cat. Completely ignoring Deidara, he turned to me. "Do you need help getting up?"

"Ah, thanks, but . . ." He nodded, understanding without me having to say it, and disappeared through the doorway. I could feel the tension between him and Deidara as he went past, taste in on my tongue.

"Lunch is ready." Deidara said after a minute had past.

I wrinkled my nose, remembering the burnt smell. "Who cooked?"

"Hikari has been teaching Akuma." His tension eased as he smiled mischievously. "You should have seen it, hm. She's awful. She managed to burn water." He chuckled. "Hidan got involved, and ended up punching the microwave and kicking the fridge. There's a huge dent in it now."

"I think I'll pass on breakfast."

"Don't worry, hm. Konan and Master Sasori teamed up to save whatever was edible."

And indeed, it wasn't bad, for something salvaged. It was simple, mostly sandwiches, easy to eat and not hard to make. There was even fresh lemonade, something I had taught Konan to make some time before.

Seeing all of them at that big shiny mahogany table was quite a sight. Pein had deigned to come out of his study to dine with us, and sat at the head of the table. To his right, Konan, wearing a pretty pastel pink dress, was conversing with Sasori, who was seated next to her. Hidan, wearing a muscle shirt, yawned, bored, sprawled on the table with no regard for propriety. Next to him, was Itachi, hair once more in a ponytail and looking very peaceful. Kisame sat beside Itachi, looking for once like he had enough room, and his naturally frightening aura was toned down by his Hawaiian shirt. I was starting to suspect Akuma had ordered clothes online for them. On Pein's left side, the first seat was empty. Beside it, Akuma and Deidara traded glares. The latter had his hair in a loose ponytail, so that it framed his face more than usual. They wore, respectively, a white camisole and pink shorts, and a light blue dress shirt and slacks. Oh, yeah, one way or another she'd gotten proper clothes for them all. Kakuzu was not looking very happy, and it wasn't the yellow Scrooge McDuck T-shirt he was wearing. His hands seemed to twitch as if he was typing on an invisible keyboard, and there were pouches under his eyes, silent testimony of long sleepless nights. They would probably have been red if they had been normal. Hikari was obviously very uncomfortable, eyes twitching back to his moving fingers.

As I limped into the dining room, Akuma beckoned me over. I sat and without further reservation, lunch was served. It was better than before; the extra room went a long way, but it was still pretty noisy.

"How are you feeling?" asked Akuma as Sasori passed me a sandwich.

"Fine, fine." I bit into my food, a little reluctantly.

"Liar. You're twitching, hm. And wincing. And stumbling. Hm." Deidara said, piling several sandwiches in a neat tower on his plate.

"I'm fine." I insisted. While Deidara was frowning at me, Akuma sneaked a sandwich off his plate, all sneaky, grinning when she wasn't caught.

"Just let Master Sasori give you something. It's annoying to see you like that."

"I said, I'm fine!" My voice raised and octave. The strain sent shooting pain through my chest and back. I wheezed for a moment. "Shit!"

That smug look on his face made me want to punch him. I gulped down my lemonade in one go. When I put the glass down, I saw Sasori staring at me with an approving look. That's when it hit me. What the hell was he doing here? He didn't eat, and I doubted this was simply a social visit. I looked into my glass.

"Sasori . . ." I growled. "What did you put in my drink?" At the bottom, mixed with the remaining drops of lemonade, swam little white granules.

That bastard didn't even blink. "Something to block the pain. Don't worry, there are no neurological side effects to this drug. You might experience a headache, however."

"Did you seriously just drug me? You just drugged me, didn't you?"

"Do not raise your voice. Stay calm. The medicine will block the pain, but you must still be careful. Now, I have something that will make them heal faster . . ."

"Hell no!"

"Sasori. You should not have done that without her consent." admonished Itachi. Sasori shrugged.

I was about to yell some more, when a sensation of calm spread through me like fresh water. I blinked, and glared, though it felt like my usual anger was slipping through my grasp. My glare lacked intensity, I just couldn't be mad. It wasn't that I wasn't mad, it was more like I was physically unable to feel mad. "You . . . bastard . . ."

"You will feel much better, trust me." He leaned back in his chair as I futilely tried to work myself up to slam my fist into the table, or something, anything, to express the anger I couldn't feel.

"I'll get you for this." I said.

"That'll be fun to watch, hm." Deidara's tone had a trace of bitterness. "I thought you two were real close." He eyed me closely over Akuma's head, with a very unpleasant expression, the same as last night, like he had been forced to swallow something extremely bitter. There was a hint of menace to it as well, in his narrowed, glinting blue eye. As for Akuma, she looked like she was torn between supporting me and being glad I'd been forced to take medication. In any case, she didn't like the look Deidara was giving me. She raised herself, blocking his field of vision. He frowned, and moved his head to the left. She followed. What happened then was a funny little scene. Deidara moved up, down, left, right, followed by Akuma, up, left, right, up, down, left, right, left, up . . .

"Will you stop that!" yelled Hidan. "You're driving me crazy! My head's already pounding like a son of a bitch!"

"She started it!"

"Stop annoying Tenshi! Bully!" she huffed.

"What are you, six, hm?"

"Stop glaring at Tenshi! Or I'll kick you, you hear!"

"Why you little . . ." he grabbed hold of her cheeks and pulled. "Cheeky brat!"

"Wet . . . mwe . . . gwo!"

I was about to intervene when Hidan slammed his fist on the table.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!" he roared. Deidara, stunned, let go of Akuma's cheeks. She rubbed them, tears springing into her eyes.

"She started . . ."

"AND I'M ENDING IT!"

"Don't yell at me, hm! I'll blow you up, hm!"

"Try it blondie! I can take you one-on-one any day!"

"Let's go then, hm!"

The both stood, glaring at each other. For a moment, I really thought they were going to fight. Then, a voice cut through the air.

"Enough."

At one word from Pein, they froze. It took them a couple of seconds, but their glares subsided.

"You know what, fuck this shit, I'm gonna get some sleep." Hidan left, mumbling something about Kakuzu and laptops.

"What's with him?" I asked.

"I haven't the faintest idea." answered Sasori. I ignored him. If I couldn't be mad at him (and god knows I wanted to be) then I would do the next best thing and refuse to acknowledge his presence. Itachi raised an eyebrow at me, as if to say 'you are being childish, and you know it, don't you?' It was remarkable how much one could glean from his rare facial expressions, once one had learned to read them. It was almost better than learning to speak Uchiha, which I was less than proficient at.

During the entire scene, Kisame and Hikari had been whispering to each other from across the table (let's not mention Kakuzu-I think he was having some sort of seizure). Hikari was pale, and her hands shook, while Kisame seemed to be encouraging her. A bead of sweat trickled down her temple and was lost in her bright red hair.

"Hm, P-Pein-sama!" she squeaked suddenly. His eyes, those scary, whirlpool like eyes, focused on her.

"Speak."

"I w-wan-want to go out! For a half-day or so . . . I have to meet my mother, so could I, you know, leave? I won't run away, I swear!"

There was silence as everyone (except Kakuzu, Sasori, Itachi, Konan, me . . . so okay, not everyone) held their breath. Hikari squirmed.

"You may."

There was a pause.

"Really?" she burst out. "I can really leave?"

"I will not repeat myself. Konan," he turned to her. "I will return to my work. Itachi, come see we later this afternoon." She nodded silently, and Itachi did the same. Pein stood, and exited the room.

All the tension eased, and we all looked at Hikari. She dropped her forehead on the table with a groan.

"Scary . . . way too scary."

"It wasn't that bad. You got permission, right?" Kisame prodded her inert head.

"Yeah, but I seriously thought I was going to faint." she said.

"Why'd you need to leave?" asked Deidara.

"That's . . . well, it's personal."

"So?"

"Deidara! Don't pry!" Akuma said.

"Who cares why she's leaving?" I interrupted the argument before it began. "I'm sleepy. I suppose that's another 'side effect' of your little cocktail?" I shot at Sasori.

"No, actually, you're just tired. You couldn't sleep last night."

"How do you know _that_?" I said.

"Simple deduction. While you were in the hospital you must have been given medication, which wore off last night, keeping you awake."

"So you say, hm. I bet you were watching her sleep." There was that bitter, resentful tone again.

"Do not confuse me with yourself, brat."

I ignored them, and left to get a good few hours of rest, Kyouki trailing along, grinned amusedly.

"Oh yeah, this is entertaining as hell."

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><p>Review! And vote, if you haven't already. Remember that poll of my profile page? I'm leaving it open for a while.<p>

I got a question from Fyuro in a review. To answer it, no, I will not be pairing Akuma with anyone. I just don't think romance would work between her and any of the others. She's fairly childish, and she's completely obsessed with taking care of Tenshi, so I doubt she would form a deeper bond with anyone else.

And another question from an anonymous reader. To answer you, RandomStalker, I am personally leaning more towards Deidara/Tenshi, but I'm keeping my options open. I actually have the ending planned out, but the character could be either Deidara or Tenshi. It wouldn't make a difference in the outcome. In the sequel I'm planning, either.


	36. Stalking, Cheating, Answering the Phone

Well, what do you know. I've managed to update in a reasonably timely manner. Not the best chapter, but you could say its pretty transitional. I've also been working on some other stories that I'm thinking about uploading . . . I've actually been finding time to write.

As always, review.

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><p>"Could someone answer a question?" whispered Deidara, a vein throbbing at his temple and his eyebrow twitching.<p>

"Hn." came the grunt acknowledging his existence.

"What the hell are we doing here?" he yelled.

"Dei, shut, up!" Akuma hissed. "And come back down, they'll see you!" She grabbed his sleeve and pulled him down so that he was once more crouched next to them behind the bushes.

He fumed and crossed his arms petulantly, mumbling about how this whole thing was a waste of time.

"Deidara," Itachi deadpanned. "We know you would prefer to stay home and make sure Sasori does not overstep his bounds with Tenshi, but Akuma and I would appreciate it if you would put your childish jealousy aside and concentrate on the mission at hand."

Akuma stared with her mouth open. "It speaks!" she gasped.

"Yeah . . . and I'm not jealous, hm!"

"Sure you aren't." Akuma said with a grin and a shrug.

"Oy . . . make fun of me and I'll blow you sky high, got that, kid?"

"Yeah . . . Oh look, she's here!" Akuma raised herself above the bushes using Deidara's head as a boost.

"Hey, get off, hm!"

"Shh!" She pressed her finger to her lips. Deidara 'tch'ed again and went back to his mission, which was watching as a certain red-haired girl sat outside a small café, waiting for her mother. He made some adjustments to his scope, zooming in on the pair. Itachi's Sharingan whirled to life in a flash of red. Akuma squinted.

"I can't see anything!" she whined.

"Keep a lookout." said Itachi.

"But I want to see!" she pressed harder on the top of Deidara's head.

"Shut up! I can't hear a thing with you yapping in my ear, hm!"

"You can hear from all the way over here?"

"We're shinobi, kid. Friggin S-class shinobi."

"Oh. Right."

Across the street, Hikari sprang up and hugged her mother. She looked a lot like her daughter, especially the hair. She was fashionably dressed, a very elegant business woman with tasteful makeup, her carmine hair held back in a bun. Both sat down.

"How've you been?" asked her mother with a worried frown.

"Just great! I'm staying with Dawn right now."

"I see. Do you need anything? I can transfer money . . ."

"I'm fine, really!" Hikari insisted. Slowly her smile faded and she looked down at her lap. "I just wish I could go home . . ."

"There's a court date in two weeks, honey. You'll be able to come home after that."

"You're sure? Absolutely sure?"

"I have hired the best lawyers, and they say we have a strong case. Your father has no claim over you whatsoever. You just have to be a little more patient, alright?" she laid her hand over her daughter's and squeezed. "I won't let him take you away, so don't worry."

Hikari nodded, her face hidden in shadows.

"It _will_ be alright, Hikari."

Akuma squinted harder. "What are they saying? Dei, come on, what are they saying?"

"Something about a court date, and Hikari's father, hm. Now, will you get that damn hand off my head?"

"No. Keep listening."

"Anyway," said Hikari as she suddenly raised her head, pale complexion nearly glowing in the sunlight. "I've been studying a bit, so I won't fall behind. There's this girl, Angel, who's also staying with Dawn. She's really smart, but scary, too . . ."

Akuma noticed Itachi tensing beside her.

"What happens if she mentions the Akatsuki?" Akuma whispered to Deidara.

"Then, he has orders to carry out. Hm."

" . . . but she's nice, once you get used to her. I've been thinking about asking her for help with my work, so I don't fall too far behind. I bet she'd be a really good teacher!"

"Yeah, right, hm." snickered Deidara.

"What, what?"

"That's great, honey. So, you're not lonely?"

Hikari shook her head vigorously. "Nope. Not at all. I'm fine, I told you. I miss home, and my friends, but this is kind of like a vacation. Seriously, don't worry."

They talked a bit, less to catch up than to simply enjoy each other's company. Hikari had greatly missed her mother during the several weeks she had been forced to leave home due to her father's incessant attempts to contact her. She truly wasn't lonely, or sad, but she did miss her life. Hopefully, in another two weeks her father would get his custody claims denied, her mother would slap a restraining order on him, and they would be back to how things were supposed to be. Yes, that was how things would go. Hikari heartfully believed that this vision of the future would come true, and that was how she was able to go back to Dawn's house, smiling, and face tomorrow.

* * *

><p>"Raise." I said. I tossed a couple of chips in the middle of the table. Kakuzu stared me down, holding his cards with one hand, using the other to scratch pensively at his brow.<p>

"Raise." He pushed a large pile of his chips to join mine.

"Kakuzu, sure that's a good idea?" Hidan said. His card lay on the table, face down. He'd folded early on.

"Better keep quiet." said Sasori. He'd acted as the dealer, and was now watching Kakuzu and me with amusement, leaning back with arms crossed.

"Let's see 'em." I said. Neither of us moved, neither willing to reveal his cards first. I decided to take the plunge. I fanned my cards out neatly. "Four of a kind."

I knew I'd won when I saw his frown. "Come on, show me watch'a got." I taunted with a sinister grin.

He glared and slammed his cards on the table. A full house. Close call. "You, are a _devilish_ woman." I grinned harder.

"You know it." I scooped up the pile, and began to count, ignoring the absolutely murderous eyes that were fixated on me. "Don't worry, I'm sure I just got lucky. I only beat you four times in the last hour." I made neat little piles. "You owe me sixty five dollars."

For a moment I thought he was going to refuse. Then, he grabbed a handful of bills out of his pocket and slammed it on the table. My piles collapsed.

"Hey!" I said, indignant.

"You're cheating. I don't know how, but you are. _No_ one gets that lucky."

"It's not luck, it's skill."

"You cheated." he insisted.

"Prove it and I'll give you your money back."

"Are you admitting you cheated?"

"Maybe." I tilted my head to the side. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Who knows?"

"_Devilish_." he growled. He pushed his chair back and stomped away. As soon as he was out of earshot Hidan burst out laughing.

"Oh man! That was fucking awesome!"

"Sasori, here's your cut." I slid a bill over in his direction. He shook his head. Hidan's eyes widened.

"Keep it. I have no use for this world's money."

"You mean . . . ah hah, so you did cheat!" He jammed a finger at me.

"Well, _duh_," I gathered up the cards. "Did you seriously believe I beat Kakuzu four times in a row without even a little help?"

"Well . . . yeah."

"Hidan, I'm good at poker, but I'm not _that_ good." I slid the pack neatly into its carton, scooped the chips into the bag, and placed everything back inside a box labeled 'rainy days.' I stretched while Hidan shook his head at me.

"You've got guts, bitch. If he'd caught you, he would have ripped your tongue out."

"So let's make sure he doesn't find out."

"Sure," he grinned. "Just because it was so fucking awesome to see Kakuzu get his ass kicked like that. I'm gonna go watch TV while Kisame is in his room."

"Hurry up. I think I hear him coming down."

He looked horrified and bolted to the living room. Sasori raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really?"

"Of course not. Kisame is too busy fussing over that fish Akuma got him. It'll be hours before he comes out."

"Whose idea was that, again?"

"Surprisingly, Itachi's. I think the soap operas were harder on him than we thought."

Sasori twitched. "Those things were nightmarish."

"You won't catch me disagreeing."

As we talked, the thought came over me of how easy it was to talk to Sasori. There was no tension, no fear, just lightly flowing conversation. I truly enjoyed it. For some reason, Deidara popped into my head. With an internal frown, I realized that I had never had this kind of conversation with him. I'd always shied away whenever he came close, so the only actual talk we'd had was at the hospital, and that could barely be considered a talk at all. I just couldn't relax around Deidara, and I was somewhat confused as to whether or not that was good. He'd said he wanted to know more about me. That he couldn't figure me out. That it was driving him crazy . . . Did I want to know more about him? Did I want to try? Why would I try? Why in the world was I even considering the issue? This made no sense at all!

Sasori watched as I silently frowned, harder and harder. I caught his gaze and jumped slightly. I'd fallen into a deep well of thoughts without noticing, and what I'd brought up were unpleasant notions I would have preferred to have stayed at the bottom of it.

"You're thinking about the brat, aren't you?" The bitterness in Sasori's voice snapped me out of it. I stared at him. He wasn't looking at me anymore, but had his body position at an angle, one elbow on the table with the lower half of his face hidden by his hand.

"I told you. Stay away from him."

"I don't get why you're telling me this."

"I've told you several time." Bitter, frustrated, impatient, even though his face showed none of this his voice was raw with emotions he seemed to no longer be able to contain. "I want you by my side. I do not want you to think about that brat."

"I . . ." I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to think. Sasori refused to look at me. The little voice in the back of my mind was silent for once, but Kyouki seemed to find the whole situation highly amusing. In truth she was the one who have helped me cheat before. She seemed to consider this amusing little conversation as her personal reward. She leaned on the table, single eye rotating back and forth between the two of us.

"Well, well, well . . ." she purred. "This is interesting." She raised a finger, and tapped the wood of the table, once, twice, thrice. I fought to keep my eyes from straying to her. On the edge of my vision, she grinned.

"I thought it was only you who needed them, but it seems that this one-humm, Sasori, was it?-has been thinking about you in a rather peculiar manner. Isn't he supposed to be a puppet? How odd." She hopped on the edge of the table and crossed her legs. "This is amusing. Oh, yes, I made the right decision in coming here. This little triangle between the three of you is turning out to be much more interesting than I anticipated. Now, don't mind me. Continue."

I was spitting mad and fighting not to show it. How dare she? That little bitch . . . I ground my teeth, swallowing, and forced myself not to twitch. I stood as still as I could.

Sasori had not said anything, not had he looked at me. I still had no idea what to say, and I was so angry I couldn't think straight.

My cellphone rang.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. I groped my pockets for a moment, searching for it.

Whatever atmosphere had set in between us was broken. Sasori, back to his usual self, raised an eyebrow. He often did this, I had noticed. Once he considered a topic over, it was freaking _over_. Nothing could draw him back once he had lost patience. Apparently he had gotten tired of not being answered, and chosen to move on.

"You have one of those, what are they called, cell-phones?"

"Yeah, Akuma's making me carry it around. Who the hell would want to call me?" I mumbled.

"Maybe she's calling about the mission."

"Maybe . . ." I finally found the damn thing. I flipped it open and set it to my ear. "What?" I snapped.

My eyes widened. I listened, nodding once or twice. "If you insist, sure. I can be there in twenty minutes." I listened some more. "Yeah, I just said I'd be there. Quit yapping, tell me when we meet. You know I hate talking on the phone."

I hung up without a goodbye, and frowned. "Hey, Sasori?" I said. He sighed, obviously irritated, and rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. Incidentally, that was another tick of his, even though he was a puppet and technically shouldn't feel anything.

"Go. I have two conditions. One, you take some more medicine." I grimaced, but nodded briskly. I did not need to be in pain for this. "Second . . . do not keep me waiting."

After I had promised, and taken a dose of medicine, I grabbed my jacket, keys, and was out the door.

I drove quickly, and got to the school within fifteen minutes. In the parking lot, there he was, leaning against the hood of his car, smoking a cigarette. A young man, a couple of years older than me, tall and muscular, wearing my school's uniform in a rather messy fashion, omitting the tie and not buttoning the jacket despite the growing cold. His dark brown hair stood up, supported by hair gel, and his eyes were obscured by sunglasses. He turned his head when he heard me approaching. He was fairly good looking by conventional standards, and he had forgotten to shave that morning. His whole demeanor was relaxed and lazy.

"Yo, Angie." he saluted vaguely, cigarette still in hand.

"Hello, Rick."

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><p>Review. Or I'll go two months without uploading again. Well, probably not, but why take the chance?<p> 


	37. Run, Run, As Fast As You Can

And, I'm back. One day left till school ends, yippee. In the meantime, I am sick, because 'tis the friggin season.

Also, if you haven't read George Orwell's '1984', I advise you to look up the term 'doublethink.' Go ahead. I'll wait.

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><p>My mouth twisted to the side as Rick puffed on his smoke. He sized me up from behind his shades, and I thought that he hadn't changed one bit.<p>

"You've changed." he said bluntly. "You cut your hair, shame."

I shrugged. I would have crossed my arms if one of them hadn't been in a sling. I settled for stuffing it in my pocket and avoiding his gaze.

"What'd you want?"

"Is that any way to talk to an old friend?" he gently mocked. "Seriously, Angie, you've changed, and not just the hair. Although, I have to say, nice job growing up, girl. The boss would be proud."

"Could we not talk about that?"

"You're still a little short, but . . ." he could tell I was getting irritated, and broke out in a grin. "You were this little kid, short, scrawny, but man you packed a punch! Look at you now, all grown up."

"Does this whole thing have a point?" I spat. "How'd you even get my number? I told you guys not to contact me!"

"I snuck into the school files after Becca told me what happened." he frowned. "By the way, I know she should have kept her head down, but did you really have to do that?"

"I did what the boss taught me to do."

"Bullshit. You did it for kicks, just like always." he took another puff. "I guess you haven't changed that much, if you're still running around knocking people to the curb. You even kept the brass knuckles." He sounded pleased and amused that I hadn't gotten rid of those, even after I had told them all not to contact me again.

"They were a gift." I said.

"Yeah? Do you still have that?" he tapped his chest, an inch above where his heart would be.

"Of course. I kept all of them."

"Thought you might."

"What do you want?" I whined, hopping on the hood of the car next to his and leaning back, arms supporting my weight, speaking more to the sky than anything else. Stray drops of rain splashed on my face. Rick didn't move, only stared up at the sky with me. The smell of tobacco drifted down and my nose wrinkled.

"What if I said I just wanted to see you? We all miss 'ya, Angie."

"Is that so?" I said in a bored tone.

"Don't take that tone with me, B-Angie." His words were harsh, but his tone was disinterested. Rick always was a pretty laid back guy. "After you left . . . well, the boss took it the hardest, especially after what happened . . ."

"Don't talk about that." I cut across him sharply. I pushed myself forward and turned my head to meet his gaze, glaring with fire filled eyes. "Don't you ever speak of that, 'ya hear? I'll punch your lights out, got that?"

He looked surprised for a moment, then laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?"

"That's better! There's the B-Angie I know and love, only you look a heck of a lot more threatening now than you did back then, kid. Although, seriously, you shouldn't have cut your hair."

"So," he continued. "Got a boyfriend yet?"

I nearly choked and turned red. "No!"

"Really? I guess you scare all the guys away, don't'cha, Angie?"

"Stop it! I don't have a . . . a . . . you know!"

"But there is a guy, right?"

"NO." I yelled.

"Oh come off it, Angie. You're the most obvious person in the world when you're flustered. You're no good at keeping secrets, so spill, B."

"No."

"Don't act like a brat, spill!"

"Leave me alone!"

He sighed. "If you're gonna insist, have it your way, B-Angie."

He lay back on the hood of his car. Overhead, the clouds were beginning to clear, exposing bits and pieces of the bright blue sky. I thought I saw a rainbow dancing above, but it disappeared, if it had ever existed at all. Beside me, Rick was silent. His cigarette was dead but he still kept it in his mouth, lazy as always. I was feeling . . . it was hard to tell exactly what. I thought that I should feel happy, in some way, or nostalgic, but none of that came. My memories of that time felt unreal, like images that had happened to another person, so it was jarring to see this guy right in front of me. In a way, it was like I was seeing him for the first time. Bits and pieces of information I remembered but did not recognize as my own memories floated up, like fights we used to have, his habit of punching his opponents with his ring bearing hand, the first time I had met him . . . More memories welled up, but it was like a film. Devoid of sensory experience, mere images that bore no emotional connotations.

"Hey, Rick?" I said. "Did you tell the boss I was here?"

"Nah. If I did that, he'd be on the next train and he'd kick my ass for not telling him sooner."

"Is that so?" I said pensively. My hand strayed to the space on my chest, just underneath my collarbone.

"Yeah."

"So . . . you won't call him?"

"I don't get it, why don't you call him yourself? I know . . . after what happened . . . the boss blames himself, 'ya know? We all do, in a way. When one of us gets hurt, the whole gang feels it. Even though, you didn't let us help at all . . ."

I sprang up and punched him. He rolled just in time. My fist dug into the metal of the car hood with a resounding screech. His shades went clattering on the pavement.

"Whoa, easy there, B-Angie!" he said, taking several steps back. "Quick temper as always, huh?"

I straightened up. I held my fist tightly balled. It was happening again. Adrenaline starting to pump, negating the slight pain in my knuckles, lighting my nerves on fire as they went. The effects were starting, that feeling of being alive and unafraid, reared its head. The corners of my mouth twitched in the beginnings of a sadistic smile and _that look_ infiltrated my gaze. Rick saw it in my eyes, that fierce fire I'd held whenever I fought, regardless of whether I was winning or losing, wild and crazed, and it made him happy. But at the same time, in his face, I could see regret, and nostalgia. The days we spent together with the gang were over. To me, it was like they hadn't even happened. To him, they were memories of a family that had been torn apart.

"There it is. . ." His smile was so bitter the way it twisted his face, I almost felt sorry for him. "Our very own Bloody Angel, right here after all this time, if only the rest of the gang was here, this would be perfect . . . it's really not the same without you, Angie, it's really not."

I calmed down. I swallowed the urge to fight, swallowed the feeling of being alive, turned the fire back to dormant embers. My eyes turned dark once more, my mouth twitched down in my usual sour half-smirk, and I clutched my good arm around my stomach in a loose hold. No more fighting. The reality of who I used to be was gone. Angie was gone. Despite the characteristics I shared with her, we were not the same.

It seemed like Rick did not want to accept that. The truth of what was happening, of exactly how much had changed, how he could not find the Angie he knew, everything dawned on him at once. He could have goaded me into a fight, but he knew it wouldn't be the same.

"I guess . . . I should go." he said. His eyes were blue, like the sky we could no longer see. The clouds came back. He got his keys out and climbed into his car. One drop after another, the rain began to fall. He started the car, and as he drove past me, he said.

"Ya know, Angie, you should grow your hair out again."

"Maybe." I shrugged.

"Goodbye, Angie."

"Goodbye, Rick."

As he drove out of sight, the rain broke out into a full-fledged downpour, and I stood thinking, standing still in the rain. Rick wanted things back to how they used to be. How did things use to be? I only had unsubstantial memories as a guide. But, I did not dig too deep. I could not even think of why I should not dig.

Now that I thought about it, I was probably applying the principal of 'doublethink.' How strange.

How things use to be . . . how I used to be . . . I shook my head with an irritating sigh. No use thinking about such nonsense. In a way, the past does not exist if I choose to reject it, so I must have rejected it at some point. But even that notion could not dawn on me.

I looked up at the dark sky. How long would the rain last?

* * *

><p>I drove home, realizing too late that the car seat was wet. I really should stop standing randomly in the rain. Now, I had pressing things to worry about, and driving seemed like the appropriate place to do it.<p>

What did Sasori mean when he said he wanted me by his side? What did Deidara mean when he said I was driving him crazy? There was an inkling of a possibility of what they had meant, but I rejected it outright. It was too absurd to even consider. Apply doublethink, and forget. So what did they mean? Since I could not know, I had to settle for ignoring it.

"As always, run, run, run, as fast as you can, no one can catch you, little gingerbread man!"

I nearly swerved onto the side when I heard her voice. I stomped on the breaks and sat blinking stupidly.

"Can you read my mind or something?" I said, irritated, as I started the car again and went on my way.

"No. I can make educated guesses."

"Will you leave me alone?" I said plaintively. "Where do you even go when I don't see you?" I added under my breath.

"No. Now, what to do about those boys, what to do indeed . . ."

"Oh, _you_ won't be doing anything. You have no control over here, remember?"

"Perhaps, but maybe . . ." on the edge of my vision (eyes on the road, people) I thought I saw her thinking. I did not like that. Nothing good could come of a bored mad god thinking.

"Just keep your nose out of it, Kyouki. I mean it."

"I'll do what I want. I do wish I could talk to them, though . . . The one with the black hair seems like he's be interesting to discuss things with. Very insightful."

"You mean Itachi? I imagine so, if you can get him to talk. He's not really chatty."

"And the silver-haired one, pulling pranks on him would be hilarious."

"Probably. If you could get out of the way in time."

"The leader, Pein, was it? He seems interesting, because his real body isn't actually here."

"Yeah, he's just controlling it from their world."

She began to count things off her fingers.

"Other than that, there's a money-grubber, but that's just boring, a woman who seems rather bland, a plant hanging around, but that thing's too weird to even consider talking to, same with the shark . . ."

"Are you kidding me? You've got cat ear and a pair of tails, who are you calling weird?"

"For your information, I am not a cat. I am a feline."

"Cats _are_ felines, you idiot!"

"Nonetheless, I am not a cat. Continuing the exposition of my opinions about your roommates . . ."

"Despite the fact that _no one cares_."

" . . . Deidara and Sasori are the most interesting ones. I mean, how messed up does someone have to be to fall in love with _you_ of all people?" she said that in just a bored and nonchalant tone that it took a second for it to sink in.

And another second for me to forget it. The possibility was absurd, and so it was rejected as soon as it entered my brain. I could not consider it.

"Hey? Did you hear what I said?"

"I heard you just fine." I snapped. "I wish I didn't, but I have a feeling if I put some music on you'd dive into my brain and stay there till kingdom come."

I could see her frowning on the edge of my vision, but ignored her. During the rest of the ride home she decided to make herself as irritating as possible, humming the tune of the gingerbread man song, kicking her feet in tempo. Evidently it was impossible for her to _keep quiet_.

That reminds me, isn't it Christmas in a couple of days? Better hope Akuma doesn't remember.

* * *

><p>I wonder how many of you went and looked up 'doublethink.' It really is a fascinating concept.<p>

We are slowly inching towards the main event here. I have the ending all planned out, and I'm thinking up ideas for a sequel. I've got the main concept all done, I just have to decide what form I want it to take.

I've been working on a couple of other stories, which I might post soon, since vacation is coming.

Review!


	38. In Which Actions Have Consequences

First of all, merry Christmas! Second of all, I have to admit I am disappointed. Seriously, two reviews for the last chapter? Either you guys are being lazy, or that last chapter sucked.

See, here's the deal. It would mean the world to me if this fic made it to 500 reviews. As the end is in sight (at least in my head), that is unlikely to happen unless I get some support. Now, the problem is also likely on my end. If I drop the ball and write a bad chapter, you guys have no reason to review. The thing is, I don't know what I'm doing wrong unless someone tells me. I really want to make this a story you guys can enjoy, so I need to make an effort as well. It goes two ways. Also, I think I've lost sight of what the story was and got lost in my own messed up metaphysical ideas of exploring Tenshi's subconscious, so I'm going to tone that down for a while.

Wait, does anybody actually listen to me ramble in the AN? Am I talking to a wall?

Review! And merry Christmas to all!

* * *

><p>Thankfully, Akuma had forgotten about Christmas. Unfortunately, it was because something rather major had happened and kicked the thought right out of her small brain. When I arrived back at her house, the entire Akatsuki was in her living room, sitting still on the couches. As this included Pein, and I was not supposed to have left the house, it felt slightly threatening. But to my surprise, nobody said anything about my absence. In fact, an aura of silence and seriousness hung over the area. Heck, the TV was off.<p>

"Gosh, who died?" I said. Konan coughed slightly.

"Hum, Tenshi, something rather unexpected had happened." She shot a venomous look at Deidara. He frowned back at her.

"Don't look at me like that, hm."

"This situation is your fault, so I will look at you in whichever way I see fit."

"I say we turn him in." said Kakuzu. "The reward is quite generous."

"**Don't be an idiot.** What will happen when they see his mouths? **This isn't our world, idiot**."

"Seriously, even Zetsu's here? What's going on?" I sat in my chair. I turned my gaze to Sasori, hoping for answers, but he just shrugged and turned his own glare on Deidara. Now that I got a second look, it was like everyone was glaring at the guy. Except Itachi, because he's friggin _Itachi_.

"Maybe I should . . . explain?" Akuma tentatively said, raising her hand.

"Yeah, why don't you do that?" I sat back, crossed my legs and my good arm. "What did blondie do this time?"

"It's not that he did something new," said Kisame. "It's that he screwed up something that he did before."

"Seriously, what kind of shinobi are you?" said Hidan. "Fucking incompetent . . ."

"Now I'm confused."

"See, remember when Deidara . . . let's say, rescued you from the mental institution?" Hikari chimed in.

"That is a somewhat inaccurate way of putting it, but go on." I directed my frown at her and she shrank back.

Hikari and Akuma shared a look, as if to non-verbally communicate which of them would be explaining this mess. Pein sat with his back straight as a rod, eyes close and brows furrowed, looking displeased. Scratch that, he looked like he was ready to explode.

Akuma nudged Hikari. Hikari's mouth twitched downward, as if to say 'you expect me to do this?' Cue another nudge, more insistent. It was answered by a small shake of the head. Cue third nudge. Hikari rolled her eyes, and I imagined her saying 'she won't get mad at _you_. You do it!'

I was growing more irritated. I glared in turn at all of them. Deidara wasn't talking (sulking was more like it. He blew a stray strand of hair out of his face and pouted), Kisame simply grinned nastily and said not a word, Itachi wouldn't look at me, Hidan . . . let's not even consider it, Kakuzu was looking like a drug addict going through withdrawal (Hidan had mentioned something about his online accounts having been hacked and Akuma cutting his internet access), Konan smiled shyly, Akuma and Hikari were going through their little body language argument, and Pein was growing more ticked off.

"I think," Kyouki chimed in. "That they're all too afraid you'll get mad at them if they're the one to tell you."

Finally, Sasori stood up from his customary place and spoke to me in a dead monotone.

"Earlier today, an arrest warrant was issued for Deidara. He was caught on the security camera when he took you from the hospital yesterday. Roadblocks have been set up around the area, and the police are searching for him. Additionally, you have been declared as a missing person, and a search is currently being organized. Meaning, they will most likely come here. I understand from the news report that your parents arrived this morning and are quite distraught."

I was silent for a moment. I think everyone held their breath, because I thought I heard a fly buzzing.

"Are you freaking kidding me!" I yelled, springing to my feet. My face flushed with anger. I couldn't stop myself from kicking my chair.

"And there she goes . . ." mumbled Kisame.

"Told you. Fifty bucks." Hidan said.

I needed something to hit them. Where was my bokuto? Arg, no time for that!

I aimed a kick at them, screaming, but they jumped out of the way. I kicked the couch a couple of times, then turned to Deidara. He cringed.

"ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? WHAT THE HELL KIND OF NINJA ARE YOU, YOU STUPID . . . tu me kidnappe, et tu peux même pas le faire proprement? T'est complètement incompétent, ou quoi? T'est un putain de ninja, membre de l'Akatsuki, un terroriste professionnel, et tu peux même pas . . . comment tu as pu te faire prendre ? IDIOT ! » I grabbed a pillow and swung at him. « Je ne sais même pas quoi dire ! C'est toujours la même chose avec toi, c'est toujours ta faute, espèce de salaud ! A chaque fois ! A CHAQUE FOIS ! »

« Hum, Tenshi . . . »

"Forget it, Akuma, we can't understand a word she's saying." Hikari patted her friend on the shoulder. "At least she's not yelling at us . . ."

"True, kid. True words of wisdom. Want to bet on whether she'll try to smother him with that pillow?" said Kisame. All of the Akatsuki had by now backed away from the circle of couches where I was wailing on poor Deidara with a pillow. He dodged most of my hits, though.

"Ten bucks says she does." Hikari says.

"No fair, that's what I wanted to bet!"

"Get real, she's spitting mad! What language is she speaking?"

"French." said Itachi.

"Isn't french supposed to sound . . . I don't know, sophisticated?"

"Who knows? I don't even know where France is." Kisame sighed.

"I didn't know she was french." remarked Hikari.

"Well, bitch, live and learn. Let's get out of here before she turns on us."

"Good call. How does a game of poker sound?" said Kisame. "Give Kakuzu a chance to win his money back."

I turned to them and they froze. A second later they were scrambling for the door. Akuma got there first, but Kisame caught her by the back of her shirt and tossed her back.

"Sorry kid, but someone has to tell her about the plan." he grinned. The rest of the Akatsuki made their escape.

"What am I, the sacrificial lamb?" she whined. "No fair!"

"Akuma." said Pein. She snapped to attention. "Fill her in. I expect you upstairs in ten minutes to start the preparations. The plan will go into effect at seven o'clock tonight."

"Sir, yes, sir!" she saluted.

"As for you," Pein's eyes turned to Deidara. "Come with us. You've done enough damage."

I kicked the wall a few times as they left. Akuma was the only one there now, and I really felt like I could kill someone. I had half a mind to go up and strangle Deidara right now.

"Urg, I don't think I've ever been so angry!" I threw myself down on the couch.

"How about the time with the party . . . No, don't remember that!"

"I swear I'm going to kill him one day. Or castrate him, that's even better. You know what? I'm going to do that right now." I sprang up. "I don't even need a vet's appointment, I've seen in done, all I need is a knife, some twine, some gauze and we're golden. We have all that, right?"

"No anesthetic?" I shot her a look. "Guess not . . ."

"I'm doing this. Get me a glass of water, I'll go get the knife."

I went to the kitchen, but she tackled me. After dumping a glass of water on me, she sat me down in my chair, gave me a candy cane to lick, and told me the details of what the heck was going on.

"So, the police are looking for you and Deidara, so we're going to need to leave the area."

"WHAT?"

"Just keep licking, just keep licking, just keep licking, licking . . ." she half sang. The sugar _was_ rather calming. She went on. "We thought, hey, they're going to come here, so we should just leave for a while."

"For how long? They're not going to give up the search so easily."

"That's where having a bunch of super strong S-ranked shinobi comes in handy!"

"Minus one . . ." I mumbled. She gave me a look and I chewed on my candy cane.

"One of them is going to produce a couple of shadow clones to lead the search in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, we'll be hiding out in my family's cabin in the mountains east of here. Sounds like a plan, right?" she beamed.

I sucked on the rapidly diminishing piece of sugar, before speaking in a low tone. "Let me see if I've got this straight. Deidara screwed up, I'm wanted by the police, we have to hightail out of here, we're going to drive eighteen hours to a frozen hell on earth, with the Akatsuki. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?"

"Don't yell! And I take offense at the hell comment. It's a really nice place, think of it like a Christmas vacation! We can go skiing, huddle around a fire while drinking cocoa, you love cocoa, we can make snowmen, and have snow fights, and a white Christmas, isn't that nice?"

"I hate snow!"

"Why? You had a great time last year!"

"No, I didn't! I hate snow! I hate cold! I hate Christmas!"

She gasped like I'd killed her puppy. "No!"

"Alright, I don't hate Christmas, but I know I'll hate it with these guys here!"

"I know, how are we going to get presents . . ."

"Dawn, that's not the _point_." I said, frustrated. "I'm not going to that stupid cabin!" I yelled.

Then Kisame poked his head through the door.

"What?" I snapped.

"One, we can hear everything, two, Pein says to tell you that yes, you are going to the cabin, and you'd better pack before he stuffs you in a suitcase." He disappeared.

I stared blankly at the door. "I'm going, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are. Maybe we should pack?" She pushed me gently towards the stairs.

"I'm really going to castrate him one day." I said dreamily.

"Yes dear."

* * *

><p>Yes, I packed. Not that I had any clothes that were warm enough. After the fiasco of last year's skiing trip, I had sworn never to take another step into snow-clad land. Not that Pein cared. Honestly, I think he just wanted a vacation. So did Konan, actually. The atmosphere was remarkably cheery considering we would be on the <em>run from the law<em>.

"We'll need to go shopping once we get there." said Hikari. All of us, the four girls, were in Akuma's room.

"There's a great little shop in the village near the cabin. Oh, and don't worry," Akuma said to Konan. "Hardly anyone owns a TV down there. There's no way they'll recognize us."

"Good to know, it's the middle of nowhere." I said sarcastically. "How are we even getting there? My car's not big enough."

"I own a trailer." Akuma said brightly.

"Please explain why you own a trailer."

"My parents planned a camping trip. They bought everything, but had to go away for work. Since then, it's just been sitting there, might as well use it. Besides, it's not like my parents are coming home any time soon," she added under her breath.

"You really have everything, don't you? Damn rich kid."

We packed for a little while. Akuma had Konan try on her clothes and actually found a couple of pretty dresses that fit her. They were a bit short, though. I had long since finished (I don't own a lot of stuff. All I need is my computer, my iPod, with various chargers, enough clothes to last the trip, here's hoping there's a washing machine there because I really, really don't have many clothes.), so I lay on my stomach on Akuma's bed, watching them try on shoes.

"Hikari." I said suddenly. She jumped.

"Y-yes?"

"Can you drive?"

"I have a learner's permit . . ."

"Good. I'm not driving eighteen hours. We'll switch every two hours, sound good to you?"

"Yeah, but I'll need someone with me . . ."

"No problem. I'd rather sit with you than ride in the back with _them_." I chewed on another candy cane. I felt I needed the sugar to keep calm. "I resent them. No offense."

"None taken." Konan said. "I apologize for the inconvenience. I assure you, we will make sure that you come to no harm."

"You know, this problem would just go away if I turned myself in." I said.

"Do you want to do that?" she said.

I shrugged. "Not really, but . . ."

"Even if you did that, they would still come after Deidara. And you would most likely not be returned to us. Pein is adamant about not letting anybody out of his sight. Don't worry, our plan will succeed."

"But how long can you guys keep a clone jutsu up? That takes a lot of chakra."

"Kisame can handle it. After all, he is called the Tailless Tailed Beast."

That was right. It was easy to forget that these shinobi, aside from being scary and capable of ripping your head off, were good at what they did. I would just have to trust them on this one.

"Okay." I said. "But I maintain that Deidara deserves to be castrated."

"I do agree. I doubt Pein will consent to that, however. I think his punishment will be left up to you."

"So I can . . ."

"I think you'd best steer clear of doing any permanent damage." she said gently. "Besides," she gave a little laugh, "I doubt you could get him to sit still long enough."

Akuma and Hikari giggled. I cracked a smile.

At seven o'clock sharp, we loaded the trailer and attached it to my car. Before we left, Konan summoned her knowledge of medical ninjutsu and healed me almost completely, and said that she would have done this sooner if it had been necessary. Healing this way was hard on my cells, as I was not a ninja and unused to having chakra in my body. I felt very strange, rather sick, and very uncomfortable when she healed me, but I got over it thanks to a drug concocted by Sasori. I don't even know when the hell he'd found the time to play with a chemistry set, or what was in the sweet liquid he pressed on me, but I suppose under the circumstances, it was best not to question it. I felt a lot better, after all.

I didn't check out the inside of the trailer (I doubted I would be seeing much of it anyway), but judging by the yells that came forth when the guys got in, it was pretty sweet. I got behind the wheel with a sigh. I couldn't believe this was happening. I had strictly avoided Deidara, but made a point to glare at him every time he came into my presence. It was always his fault. Every single damn time.

I was interrupted in my internal condemnation of Deidara's behavior by Sasori slipping into the front seat, and Hikari slipping in the back.

"I thought you'd get bored by yourself." he said, buckling his seat belt.

"Yeah, this'll be hell for you. It's a long drive."

"I could never be bored with you around." I felt that he wanted to say something more, but not in Hikari's presence. He was a bit different when we were alone together, a bit more open. He had emotions. No matter how much he said he didn't, he did. He just couldn't realize that he had them, because his body did not have the capacity to feel the emotions his soul had. But that didn't mean they weren't there.

I started the car, and pulled the car down the long alleyway that led up to Akuma's mansion, turning the headlights on since it was already dark. The scene of Sasori's death played through my mind. Chiyo had said that he had let himself be killed. That was proof enough for me.

* * *

><p>They drove. Sasori stayed silent. Hikari felt awkward. After a while, Tenshi's eyes began to burn with fatigue, so she switched with Hikari and lay down in the back to get some rest before it was her turn again. Soon her breathing became soft and deep, the only sound in the car. The silence was stifling to Hikari. Sasori's presence was extremely intimidating, and she clasped the wheel with moist hands, keeping her eyes on the road.<p>

"Why are you going so slowly?" Sasori said suddenly. Hikari nearly slammed on the brakes in fright. She also nearly squeaked, which might have been a lot more embarrassing.

"I've only got my learner's permit. . . it'll be bad if we're pulled over." _'And,'_ she added to herself. _'I'm scared of crashing Tenshi's car.'_

It was so quiet after that, she couldn't bear it. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears and feel the sweat dripping down her neck. It was made all the worse by the fact that she couldn't hear him at all. It was like he wasn't there, she should at least have been able to hear his breathing, or feel him shift his position every once in a while, but no, he was like a red shadow in the corner of her eye. She wanted to sneak a look, see if he was still there, but she was too afraid to look away from the road. She mulled it over, look or not look, look or not look, but what good would looking do, he'd just think she was weird, yeah, she should just keep her eyes on the road, didn't want to run a deer over, oh but this is so creepy he's just sitting there and it's so silent and god I can hear myself breathing okay calm down calm down it's getting hot in here but I can't move an inch got to keep my eyes on the road don't want to run over a deer this is Tenshi's car she'll be mad she's scary when she's mad she yells in french she's almost as scary as Sasori is he still here I can barely see him what if he's looking at me I can't look now but gotta look . . .

"Are you and Tenshi close?"

'_He's _talking_ to me? Oh god, calm down,'_ "Hum, not really." Hikari said awkwardly.

"What is her relationship with Deidara?"

The question sent a wave of puzzlement through her body that chased away the fear and awkwardness.

"It's it obvious?" she blurted out. "He likes her."

"How do you know?" his tone was harsher than she'd expected and it made her flinch, realizing what she'd just said.

"Huuuuh . . . women's intuition?"

"Are you asking or telling? How do you know that Deidara has feelings for Tenshi?" he demanded. She could feel his glare on her.

'_Oh no, he's getting mad . . .'_ "The same way I know you have feelings for her!" she blurted out again. She realized, mortified, what she had just said. _'Great, Hikari, you're on fire today!'_ she thought sarcastically.

"What . . ."

"I'm sorry, but it's just so obvious to anybody with half a brain, or decent social skills, and as Dawn and I have both, we can see it," she spoke very quickly in an almost whisper. "You're always with her, always watching, acting protective, and Deidara's the same, only he doesn't act all that friendly towards her, probably because she hates his guts, I mean I heard she came after him with a knife once, so I don't think you have much to worry about, except that there's a thin line between love and hate but wait aren't girls supposed to like bad boys in which case you're screwed 'cause you're the nice guy here but that's assuming Angel is a normal girl which she obviously isn't but I know you like her and Deidara likes her, can't say about love really 'cause s-ranked shinobi don't love, and on that topic no worries about the rest of them finding out, they have _no_ social skills whatsoever and neither does Angel so if you want to tell her you'd better do because she'll never realize it so if you beat Deidara to it you're probably golden or I don't know she might come after you with a knife, hey maybe that's what Deidara told her that time . . ."

"Hikari! Shut up!" he hissed. She remembered that Tenshi was sleeping in the back and clasped a hand over her mouth. She'd unconsciously raised her voice. They peaked over the seats (Hikari momentarily forgetting her 'keep her eyes on the road' mantra). Tenshi was still sleeping soundly. They both sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry, when I get nervous I start rambling . . ."

He was silent for a moment. "You really think . . . that's what Deidara told her? That he . . ." he seemed to choke on the words.

"I don't know. Maybe. Possibly." she said hastily.

"It's true that he refuses to tell us what he said . . . and Tenshi refuses to tell us, too . . ."

"Hell, maybe they're a couple. Or maybe Deidara's trying to win her over."

His reaction to that was amusing. He completely froze up.

"I mean, think about it. It's possible. It explains why he went to get her at the hospital and brought her back, why he looks weird when you go near her, and even why she's constantly mad at him. She's attracted to him, doesn't know how to deal with it, and takes out her frustration through violence."

"This theory is preposterous." he said.

"Okay." Hikari shrugged. She didn't really believe what she was saying. She thought that saying something was better than saying nothing, a rather misguided view in the current situation because although she did not take any of this seriously, Sasori did.

"That's just not possible."

"Okay." she shrugged again.

"There is no possible way Tenshi could be attracted to that pathetic excuse for an artist. His views on art are completely misguided."

"I don't think she cares about art. I don't even know what she cares about. I don't even know what kind of guy she likes."

"Would you ask her what Tenshi thinks of Deidara?" he scratched the spot in between his eyebrows. "I think I need someone to help me with . . . this situation."

Again, the question sent a wave of puzzlement through her, and she blurted out the first thing that came into her mind. "Sure."

"Excellent. You are now my underling. Your first mission will be to assess the situation, then report back to me."

It was only at that moment that Hikari realized what she had done. Horror flooded through her. Was she supposed to help Sasori with . . . with . . . oh, she couldn't even think about it!

'_What the hell did I do?!'_ she thought as she continued to drive. That was the moment when Hikari decided that she honestly, truly, needed to learn to keep her mouth shut.

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><p>The road trip idea may seem random, and it is, but I actually know where I'm going with it. Review! I'm going to play a game, called 'Who Understood What Tenshi Said.' Winner gets to request an extra scene. It can be anything, like an omake sort of deal, except lemons, because those make me extremely uncomfortable.<p>

Also, if you have time, please read my new fic, Tales of A Thousand Cranes.

Peace out. (I realized I forgot to do that in the last couple of chapters . . .)


	39. The Drive

And, another chapter! I really struggled through this one, and I guess nothing much happens. It's more of a transitional chapter. Thanks to everybody who reviewed! I will count on your support to reach my goal. 500 reviews are still so far away.

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><p>We drove for a long time. A very long time, made longer by the lack of conversation in the car. At some point Itachi joined the party, most likely to keep an eye on us on Pein's behalf. We could only hope that the decoy would be effective, and that no one would try and stop us. Since we had to stop for gas and food eventually, I had Itachi set up a genjutsu on our car to disguise the license plate. I figured that the police would have already searched Akuma's house, discovered that my car was missing, and do whatever police do in these circumstances, I don't know, I hate cop shows, but it would surely have been bad for us. I couldn't disguise myself very well, so I stayed either in the car or in the trailer, never setting foot in a populated area or one that might have security cameras. Of course, Deidara just did a henge jutsu and got to stretch his legs all he wanted, that bastard. Sasori stayed with me, being a puppet and all that. We never really talked, just sat in comfortable silence, until he got impatient and went to hurry the others up.<p>

Hikari and I switched every two hours, which meant that neither of us got a decent amount of sleep. After ten hours, I was so tired I could barely keep my hands on the wheel. Itachi had the map open and gave instructions which I followed to the letter while nodding my head. He led us down what was a much longer route than I'd originally planned, avoiding all the major highways and roads as a precaution. I was so tired I didn't complain, only fell asleep in the backseat when Hikari's turn came; in an unspoken agreement, we decided not to ask Pein for a break. He was on edge, and making him mad was the last thing we needed. So, I went through the usual stages of tiredness: grumpy, then murderous, then the I-don't-give-a-damn phase, which lasted for a while, then finally the zombie-phase where I wasn't sure I was even awake.

I nodded, and nodded, and wasn't even sure the road was still there anymore when Itachi's voice broke through to me and I pulled over. Hikari and I switched, and I promptly fell asleep in the back of the car, head against the window.

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><p>"Hikari. Stop the car." said Itachi. She obeyed the command without a twitch.<p>

"Is it Tenshi's turn?" she slurred, rubbing her eyes.

"Yes." he turned around to Sasori, who was sitting in the backseat. "Sasori. Take Tenshi to the back. They can't go on like this."

"Will you drive?"

Itachi's Sharingan whirled to life. "I have mastered the basics. I will get us to our destination." Sasori picked Tenshi up and carried her off. Itachi bent closer to the map and traced his finger over the route he would be following. They were about halfway there, and starting to gain altitude. The air was much colder, and snow speckled the land around them. Itachi had discovered several hours before that Tenshi's car was old, and that there was no heating. While he could easily stand this, not to mention Sasori, he had noticed the lack of color in her cheeks while she drove, making the dark purple circles under her eyes stand out more. By that point, they had driven for fifteen hours, through the night, and the sun was lightening up the sky.

When Itachi looked up, Sharingan still activated, he thought he saw a small, human shaped shadow following Sasori and Tenshi closely, wavering like a ghostly presence. He caught some flashes of red and white, somewhat like mist floating lightly above the ground. He frowned. That was not a chakra signature. He deactivated his Sharingan, and the shadow disappeared. He rubbed his temples and dismissed it. He simply figured he was more tired than he thought.

Sasori carried Tenshi to the trailer, where the others were just starting to wake up. Akuma and Konan shared the bottom bunk bed, Kakuzu had the top to himself, Pein took the couch, and the rest slept on the floor, either lying down or sitting up against the side of the trailer. There weren't enough blankets to go around, but the ninjas bore it just fine. The fact that the trailer was heated also helped. Sasori stepped on Deidara's hand on the way in.

"Ow! Why are we stopping, hm?" He sat up and rubbed his head, messing up his already disheveled hair. He took out his ponytail and began to redo it, tie held in his mouth.

"Itachi is taking over. The girls are too tired." he looked around for some place to put her. Deidara looked closer, and saw that Sasori was holding her. He was about to kick up a fuss when he saw that she was sound asleep. A feeling of relief went through him. He had thought for a second that she had let him do that, and that would have been unacceptable. Finishing his ponytail, Deidara paused. Thinking such things still felt peculiar. He shook his head slightly, shrugging off that feeling. He found another one he was comfortable with, which was annoyance. Not only did Sasori have ludicrous ideas about art (art, of course, was an explosion, not some dusty old puppet), but he was stealing away something that Deidara himself wanted. He wasn't sure what he wanted exactly, but he would be damned if he let Sasori have it.

He got up and shook Konan and Akuma awake. Konan opened her eyes, assessed the situation in two seconds, blinked, and was up within five. Akuma was not so cooperative.

"Dad . . ." she mumbled. "Five more minutes . . ." She pulled the blanket over her head.

"I'm not your dad, now get up!"

"It's fine, they can share." Konan said. She took Tenshi from Sasori, cutting off Deidara who was about to do the same, and put her on the bed next to Akuma. The latter latched on to her like a koala bear. Konan pulled the blanket over both of them.

"Now, where's Hikari?" she asked.

"Still in the car. Why?" said Sasori.

"What are you waiting for? Go get her!" Sasori blinked, and promptly left. "Men!" Konan sighed.

Deidara shrugged, and sat back down on the floor next to the bunk beds. Tenshi was sleeping so deeply he could hardly hear her breathe. He reached up to touch her cheek, and jerked back for a second. She was cold, but her skin was soft. For once she didn't scream and attack him, but he almost wished she would. Tenshi was better when she was up and about, commanding everyone and having her short fuse lit by a stray word or misplaced action. That explosive personality, that fiery temper was what he loved about her. He had learned that her rages were quick to come, but ended fairly quickly, like fireworks. She was beautiful with flushed cheeks and eyes that spit sparks, her hair flying about her face like a halo. That side of her came and went unpredictably. When she had lost her temper at him over the whole getting-caught-on-a-camera deal (he was not incompetent. He just had a different artistic sense than other ninja), he had been truly surprised. He never knew what to expect, and that made her all the more interesting.

His tongue licked down her cheek, and he took his hand off, muffling a curse. Konan caught his eye with a raised eyebrow, and he flushed.

"Shut up, hm!" he tried stalking off, only they were in an enclosed space. He settled for going to the miniature kitchen to grab himself a drink.

"I didn't say anything."

"Mind your own business, hm."

She shrugged. "I will. But Deidara, a word of advice." She cleared her throat.

"What?" he said reluctantly.

"You need to remember that Tenshi is not well. She is rather fragile. If you are too rough, there is no telling what her reaction will be. You may break her, or she may turn against you. I doubt this situation will have a good outcome."

Deidara shrugged and ignored her. He turned his face away so he couldn't see her judgmental eyes, and huffed, irritated. He couldn't deal with any of that right now, he had to make sure she wasn't stolen by that puppet, who, as much as Deidara respected him, was still very, very wrong about art, and so did not suit Tenshi's character. Or at least in his eyes it didn't. Sasori had a very different opinion about Tenshi, which will be discussed at some later date.

As Konan was about to continue, Sasori came in with Hikari. He set her on the floor, covered her with Hidan's blanket (which was stolen by Kisame two minutes later), and Itachi started the car.

It would be another six hours before they arrived, and Tenshi slept the whole way. Unknown to her, they did encounter a police car, because Itachi's grasp of driving was extremely limited, and he was stopped no fewer than ten times for various infractions, making good use of his Sharingan every time. Meanwhile, Kisame's shadow clone slash henge combo was drawing the search towards Seattle, and the others joined in on the fun, sending their own clones across the region and following the progress on the radio. Roadblocks were finally set up on all the major highways by the frustrated police, but by then they were completely clear of the area and heading into the mountains. Tenshi's parents made an impassioned plea to the kidnapper to return their daughter and once Akuma's father had pulled some strings the whole of western Washington was on high alert, but the genjutsu prevented anyone from finding them. Pein's mood improved visibly as this took place, and he began to act more like this was a vacation than an attempt at fleeing. After all, the Akatsuki doesn't run away. They all preferred to let Pein think that than confront him with the truth and have their tongues ripped out.

The party arrived at Akuma's parent's cabin after a harrowing climb up the mountain, during which Itachi had done his best not to fly off the edge at the narrow turns. Once, the trailer had nearly tipped over, but was righted when Kisame created shadow clones to balance things out. This meant that there was a lot less room, and Pein's glare was severely strained as it darted around the room, silencing one dispute after another before it broke out and made everything more unbearable than it already was. First, it was Hidan getting on Kakuzu's nerves, then another of Sasori and Deidara's arguments about art, then Kisame getting offended when Konan criticized his favorite soap opera, then Deidara and Hidan jumping at each other's throats for a reason none of them could figure out, and on and on, making a headache throb at Pein's temple. This reminded him why he made them all travel in pairs across the countries, so that he didn't have to listen to them argue all the time. Gathering nine highly volatile S-ranked ninja in one place was a recipe for disaster.

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><p>"Tenshi, wake up!" Akuma shook me awake. I sat up suddenly, banging my head on the overhead bunk. "We're here! Come on!"<p>

"Just give me a second . . ." I rubbed the top of my head. "Damn that hurt . . ."

"The others are already in. Hurry up!" She tugged on my arm. Still half asleep, I let her drag me out of the trailer. I was woken up immediately by the cold. It was freaking freezing out here! And it was snowing! Everything was so sickeningly bright and fresh, I wanted to trample all of it. And, I was still tired, so tired I could have fallen asleep right on my feet if I wasn't afraid of face planting in the snow. I wanted to go home, to my own chair, my own bed.

"Why did I let you drag me into this?" I moaned at the sky. My shoes were already soaking wet. "I hate snow, I hate snow, I hate . . ."

Akuma hugged me. "Merry Christmas!" she said, and handed me a lumpy package. "This is yours! I already gave the guys theirs. It's too bad we couldn't have a proper Christmas like I'd planned, with a tree and everything, but you know, with everything that's been going on . . ." she waved her hand through the air.

"I get it. You didn't have to." I said, a bit unsure of what to say. I looked up at the sky. It seemed beautiful all of a sudden, very pure. I held the package, kind of badly wrapped in red tissue paper, and remembered that Christmas was indeed today.

I opened it. It was a white scarf, with the kanji for 'heaven' embroidered on it in gold thread. She took it and wrapped it around my neck. It was warm and soft.

"Perfect. Let's go inside, 'kay?"

I nodded, and smiled slightly. "Sure."

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><p>On the subject of my little game, a lot more people translated it correctly than I thought would. So, I'm going to take suggestions for omakes in the order in which you guys reviewed. The person who reviewed first gets to suggest something first, and then the second person will, et cetera. That seems fair to me, because I don't want to leave anyone out, and writing omakes sounds like fun. I'll be PMing the first winner sometime tomorrow.<p>

In the meantime, review!

Peace out.


	40. Confrontations

Sorry about the wait. Time just flew by. This chapter is long, and things are starting to move along. The end is in sight, so I doubt we'll reach 500 reviews, but damn it we can try. So review!

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><p>The cabin was a chalet, two stories high, set on a plateau a bit above the village in the valley below. It looked so perfect it would make you sick. Inside there was a fireplace, a kitchen, a large living room with couches and fuzzy rugs, and the best part (for me at least) no friggin television. The upstairs had only four bedrooms, so we would have to learn to share. Each room had a bunk bed, so they all scrambled to get to them. Itachi coolly reserved the first and was joined by Kisame (grinning smugly I might add), Pein the second, and since no one wanted to share with him and I glared at Kakuzu when he tried to take the third room, there was a scrambled for the last one. In the end, Kakuzu got it, though he refused to let Hidan in, so him and Deidara were left without a room. Hikari, Akuma, Konan and I shared the room I had monopolized. I got the top bunk, Konan the bottom, and the other two got out air mattresses. Hidan and Deidara argued over who got the couch and who got to sleep on the floor. Deidara won and Hidan had to go and bang on Kakuzu's door for an hour before Pein got annoyed and forced him to open the door. In the end, Deidara got the couch. Good for him that there was an astounding number of blankets and pillows stuffed in a closet, more than enough to go around.<p>

I heard some arguing over who got the top bunk (what were they, children?), but I ignored all of that. I was still tired, so Akuma led me to my room, and I climbed on my bed, and fell sound asleep with that scarf still wrapped around me. She must have covered me with a blanket, because I was toasty warm when I woke up. Through the window I could see snow falling in the half-dusk. I had slept for a while.

"Are you awake, hm?"

I rubbed my eyes and looked down at Deidara. He was staring at me with that look again, though now there seemed to be a slight bit of something I could only call tenderness in his gaze. He crossed his arms on my bed and lay his head on them. He was just tall enough to do that.

"You look awful. Might want to fix yourself up before you go downstairs."

"I don't care how I look." I grumbled. I ran my hand through my hair, feeling all the knots and the way it stuck up in all directions. My eyes felt sandy, my mouth dry, my stomach rumbled as I remembered that I hadn't eaten in a while. The reason why Deidara was in my room, though, I couldn't care less at the moment. I guess I had learned to tolerate his presence, as he obviously wasn't going to go away any time soon.

"You should. I bet you'd clean up good, hm."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" I said as I climbed down the short ladder. The cold floor stung my feet, and I shivered.

"Maybe. Come on down, Hikari made dinner . . . or for you it's breakfast I guess. She went into town with Akuma and Itachi, they did a lot of shopping. We'll be set for food for the next couple of weeks." he made a face. "Though it's mostly canned stuff."

"Yeah, I'll be down."

I spotted my suitcase in the corner and zipped it open, grabbing a change of clothes. I needed a shower before anything else. When I turned around, Deidara was leaning against the doorframe, staring into space.

"What are you still doing here?"

"Waiting for you."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because there is absolutely nothing else to do around here." he said bitterly. "No TV, no radio, no clay, no nothing, hm."

"Read a book," I suggested, gathering my clothes and standing up. He grimaced.

"Yeah . . . no thanks. Hm."

"Fine. Be bored, see if I care." I passed by him. As I went through the doorway, I felt his hand ghost over my shoulder, but it flinched back. I looked back at him curiously. He was biting his lip, eyes cast downward, a frown giving him a grave expression. This was peculiar. Deidara was usually more forward than this; I had never known him to hesitate when he wanted something.

"Did you need something else?" I said, and suppressed a yawn. His cheeks flushed.

"No, hm." He looked away. Liar.

"Uh-huh. Well, whatever it is, save it for later. Shower, shower . . ." I mumbled to myself, counting doors. I tried to put him out of my mind while I turned the water on, but I found it to be harder than usual. He'd looked like a lost little boy, and I felt that he wanted to tell me something. My reflections were then interrupted before they could go any further by the realization that there was no hot water.

After I had showered as quickly as possible, I stormed down the stairs, my hair dripping and shivering like hell. I was so _cold_! I was going to kill the last person who took a shower!

They were seated around the fireplace, on the overstuffed couches, covered with blankets and holding mugs of hot cocoa. Pein, Konan, Zetsu sat on one, Kisame, Itachi, Kakuzu on another, Hidan and Deidara on the last. Akuma and Hikari sat right on the floor. I realized the only open spot was next to Deidara, but dismissed that thought in favor of yelling.

"Who took the last shower?"

They all looked down guiltily, avoiding my glare, except for Pein and Itachi (damn, there were two of them now . . .).

"It was me, sorry!" Akuma chirped. My anger left me like air from a deflated balloon.

"Oh? Try and be more careful, I'm freezing here!"

"If you come here, I'll warm you up, hm." Deidara said, patting the empty seat next to him. I threw a disgusted look his way.

"I would rather roll in the snow."

He was offended by that. He huffed and crossed his arms, sliding so far down the couch he was practically on his back. Sasori came in and looked back and forth between him and me. His mouth was drawn oddly tight, and he stared at Hikari, like 'what are you waiting for?' She hiccuped and swallowed her hot cocoa to avoid looking back at him. Sasori took a seat next to Deidara, though he made a point of sitting as far away from him as possible. I grabbed a chair, snatched one of the blankets covering Hidan and Deidara (to a chorus of 'heys!'), wrapped myself in it and sat down.

"We have arrived safely," Pein didn't bother to get up, so the powerful and dignified effect of his voice was somewhat diminished. "And no one knows us in the town below. For safety reasons, you are not to go down there. The rules apply here as well; although as I will be taking a break from my work Tenshi will not be needed to keep the peace as she did before. If I happen to be absent, she will resume her role as my hand and voice. I trust you will not disobey my orders, and yes, I _am_ talking about you, Deidara."

"What . . ."

"You are the cause of much of our troubles. If you were any less valuable to our goals I would have killed you myself for the inconveniences you caused. Remember, I am God. God's judgment is absolute."

Deidara bowed his head down, shaking with anger, and was about to retort something when Sasori kicked him in the shin. He shut up and Pein went on.

"I will leave Tenshi to do with you as she sees fit. As for how long we will be staying here, I was assured that a little less than two weeks should be sufficient for the search to move far enough away from our base that going back there will pose no problem. We will leave by then. Now that that is settled, you are all free to do as you please. Do not be loud, and do not destroy anything." He stood majestically, his flower-patterned blanket draped around him. The red clashed with his hair. "I will retire to my room. Good night to you all." He left, going up the stairs, the blanket trailing after him, tangling around his legs. Once he was out of sight, we heard a muffled thump, a curse, the sound of a door opening and slamming shut. Pein was gone. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are we supposed to do now?" said Hidan, crossing his arms. "There's nothing to do at all . . ."

"We could play poker," Kakuzu said with a mad gleam in his eye.

"_No_!" Everyone said in unison.

"We are all sick of that," said Kisame. "You always win. Always."

"What are you, a child?"

"No. But I know a lost cause when I see one."

"I have other games," said Akuma. "There are lots of thing we can do with a card deck, I have Twister . . ." we all made faces and groans of despair. "I guess not. I have Operations, Monopoly . . ."

"No." I said sharply. I was sure that would end in disaster; the Akatsuki were just too volatile. "No board games, please."

"That's pretty much all I have."

"Isn't there any booze?" complained Hidan. "If I'm going to die of boredom, I might as well be roaring drunk while I'm at it."

"Sorry! We could . . . play truth or dare?" Cue collective groans.

"We have bad memories of everything you suggest." said Itachi. "Might something we have never done before be more suitable?"

"I can't think of anything else, though . . . tomorrow we can go play in the snow, but right now it's too dark."

"Why don't we all go to bed?" I said. "I'm still tired anyway. There's nothing to do around here . . ."

"I can think of plenty of things you and I could do, and they'd keep us warm, hm." said Deidara. Sasori glared at him.

"You will not lay your hands on her, brat."

"I don't know what you guys are talking about, but quit it." I snapped. Sasori looked tense. He was impatient by nature so all this waiting around was wearing on his nerves. We discussed options for a while, and had some dinner, but after a fruitless half-hour decided to just go back to our rooms and wait for tomorrow to come. Akuma got a mischievous gleam in her eye when she thought of all the fun stuff she could do in the snow. I for one was dreading it. With my luck, I'd catch a cold.

The next morning I woke up early, having gone to bed early, but still later than the rest of them. Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, Itachi, Konan, Hikari and Akuma were all ready. Kakuzu had coerced Kisame into playing a card game with him and Pein, despite his objections to it the night before. I wondered if Kakuzu would dare strip Leader of his cash.

I made all of them wait as long as possible, taking my time with breakfast, until they headed out without me. I heard them start a snowball fight, and my heart sank even lower than before. When I finally worked myself up to going out, bundled up as much as I could, I was greeted with a snowball to the face.

It dripped down my face, on my neck and into the front of my coat. I wiped it off, slowly, glaring. The screeches of laughter died. It was eerily quiet. The wind whistled in the blue sky.

"Who threw that?" I said slowly. Akuma and Hikari, partnered with Itachi and Konan, looked at each other. Deidara, Sasori and Hidan did the same.

"It was him." they all said in unison, pointing at Deidara.

"OY! You can't just blame me for everything! It was Hikari, girl, your aim is terrible!"

"No it was you!" she said in a squeaky voice.

"It was not, hm!"

"Was too." deadpanned Sasori.

"Shut up!" He grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at his partner. Unprepared, it caught him on the side of his face. White decorated his blood-red hair. The look on his face was murderous.

"Brat . . ." he seethed. Deidara jumped away from the incoming punch.

"AH! How does it feel to be hit with such an artistic substance! A handful of evanescent powder that crumbles upon impact, it is not to the caliber of explosion, but it is so artistic, hm!"

"Are you trying to make me angry?" Sasori growled.

"I'm just telling the truth, my man Sasori. Art is immediate, vanishing in an instant, such as the white snow exploding all over your face, hm."

"Nonsense. Art lasts forever, art is eternal!"

While they argued, Itachi tapped the girls' shoulders and pointed to a pile of snowballs he had made while they were arguing.

"Now would be the time to strike. While there is dissention in the enemy's ranks." he said, ever serious.

"Alright!" yelled Akuma. "Get'em girls! FIRE!" And all three of them hurled snowballs at the guys. Caught unaware, they were pelted with snow before they could retreat. Everyone had forgotten about me. I wiped half-melted snow of my scarf. I should have joined the guy's side, because that way the teams would be even, but I decided I would rather team up with Akuma.

What followed was an all-out war, fought with fresh snow. Itachi directed us with tactical precision, making us split up and stockpile ammunition in hidden places, then having us chase them down, circle around the house, and strike. They were uncoordinated, to say the least, and we outnumbered them anyway. Deidara and Sasori kept up their fight whenever they weren't having snow hurled at them from all sides. Hidan decided that screw this, it was too cold and we were losing anyway, so he went to play cards inside.

It was actually a pretty fun morning. I got snow everywhere, we were all dripping wet and really tired when we went back in before lunch, and my fingers were completely frozen, but hey, it wasn't bad. Akuma had an absolute blast. She talked about making a snowman that afternoon.

I went up to change in my room, shivering. It was really cold, and I made a mental not to get Akuma to turn up the heat. After I was done, I heard a knock on the door. I was facing away from the door, and was about to turn around when whoever it was came in and shut the door behind them. I thought it was Akuma, but I felt strong arms wrap around me. A finger a panic coursed down my spine. The pressure from the grasp, felt through my thick sweater made my throat close up. I couldn't speak, couldn't move, cold sweat broke out on my forehead. My breathing came in short gasps. Panic was setting in. I couldn't think of who it might be. I just wanted to _get away_.

In a second, I saw blonde hair. I looked down. The arms wrapped around my waist were strong, wearing the green sweater Deidara had been wearing. Like a knife going into my head I recognized his scent.

"Get . . ." I started, my voice thin. I tasted blood in my mouth, and I was afraid. All I could think about was how he could tear me in half right now, in barely a second.

"Just stop, hm."

My mind was working too fast. I imagined how he might kill me, the endless possibilities, but I just couldn't move. The panic made my muscles weak, and I trembled. His arms tightened around me. The idea that this was Deidara, and that he wouldn't hurt me, had been thrown out. I felt helpless.

"Stop fighting." his voice sounded far away, but very tired. He sounded almost in pain. He spoke so softly . . . "Why do you keep fighting me? I won't hurt you, why don't you get it, you stupid girl? I want you to trust me, is that too much to ask, hm?" he took a deep breath. It ghosted against my neck. "I don't know why, but I . . . I don't want you to be scared, I want to be able to touch you. See, I'm doing it right now, is it really so bad? Do you really think I'd hurt you?"

Was it so bad? I couldn't think straight. What was he saying? He sounded like he was in pain. He sounded hurt, and lost. I had to get away. But he won't hurt me, right? I can trust him, right? Can I really trust him? What will happen if I break away right now, will he . . . will he be hurt if I do that? Does that mean he cares? Why would he care? This makes no sense at all!

Thoughts were tumbling, screaming and whispering through my head, clawing at the inside of my brain in an urge to escape. I suddenly had absolutely no idea what to do. Staying like this was terrifying, but if I broke away, I might . . .

Might what? Hurt him? Why would he care, why would I care? There's no reason to care, it's all right to go around callously hurting people, isn't it? That's what I've been doing, so it has to be alright, right? That's what I do. That's who I am.

If I pushed him away, would he hate me?

"Tenshi." he said. "You know, I really do . . . I really . . ."

The door slammed open. Deidara's arms were ripped from their hold. I was suddenly very cold. I turned around, slowly. Sasori, with a look on his face more frightening than I'd ever seen, threw Deidara into the hall. He tightened his fist and slammed at him. Deidara dodged, and Sasori went for another blow. This time he connected. I heard them fighting out of sight, then the sound of something tumbling down the stairs. The sounds continued, I head Akuma yell something.

I was frozen, trying to understand what was happening. Then, I realized it didn't matter.

"Pull yourself together, damn it . . ." I bit my trembling hand until it bled, the iron taste of blood filling my mouth. With the pain, the fear was gone. Adrenaline made my legs light as I ran down the stairs, to where they were fighting. I slid down on the hardwood floor, stopping, and in a split second took in the scene. They were trading blow. Sasori had a blade out, the furious look still there. A maniacal look. Sasori had been so laid back the whole time he'd been here, I had forgotten that he had a frightening temper, and was quick to snap when displeased. And he seemed absolutely enraged.

I didn't have the luxury of thinking about why.

"STOP IT!" I screamed. My voice cracked. "BOTH OF YOU, STOP IT!"

They froze. They both looked at me like they didn't know who I was. The living room was thrashed, Akuma huddled with Hikari in a corner, Itachi standing protectively over them. It had gone so fast, the others hadn't come yet, but I could hear their footsteps. Deidara snapped out of it first.

"Tenshi . . ." he reached a hand out to me.

I couldn't do this. I lowered my eyes, grabbed my coat, my boots, and ran out the door. I ran barefoot in the snow as fast as I could, getting as far away as possible. I couldn't think about any of this. I couldn't face any of this.

I stopped to catch my breath, the mountain air stinging my lungs. The cabin was out of sight. My feet throbbed and I quickly pulled on my boots and put my coat on. I resumed walking. I didn't care where I went, as long as it was away from that place. Out of the corner of my eye, Kyouki followed silently, her head down, red hair a vivid splash on the snowy mountain.

I heard someone come up behind me, and turned around. Running full speed was Hikari, puffing like an ox. She tripped in the snow, got up, and stood in front of me.

"Why'd you . . . you run out like that?" she gasped, hands on her knees. Steam rose in clouds from her mouth. "Two seconds, let me . . . catch my breath . . . _damn_ you run fast . . ."

"Why are you here?" I said, continuing my walk. I didn't want to talk to anyone.

"I need to talk to you." she said, hurrying after me. "It's about Deidara . . . and Sasori, too, kind of."

"Just go back." I said with disgust. Snow was starting to fall.

"But I really need to know, you know? How you feel about Deidara?"

"I feel nothing for that idiot." I said.

"Liar." she whispered.

"It's not a lie. I feel absolutely nothing for either Deidara or Sasori. Now that that's cleared up, go back."

She stayed silent. We walked for a while more, getting farther away from the house. The snow came down more and more heavily.

"Say, Tenshi?"

"What?"

"What would you say if I said I wanted to be in a relationship with one of the Akatsuki?" she said timidly.

"I'd call you an idiot. A stupid girl with no wits in her head."

She flinched. "Why?"

"Because, stupid girl, think about it for a second. Putting aside the fact that they are criminals, and therefore are likely to die in battle, would never settle down, and would sooner kill you than kiss you, putting all that aside, whatever relationship you might build, will end. They don't belong here, and will go back soon. There's no point in falling in love. You'll just get your heart painfully trashed into little bits when he leaves you behind. People who think that kind of relationship is possible ought to have their head examined. I mean, seriously?" I gave a bark of laughter. "How stupid can you get? Girls like that, they can't even think a month into the future! God or whatever gave us the ability to conceive the future. If girls used that ability to make sensible decisions and stop wasting their time making moon eyes at boys, they would spare themselves a lot of pain. It goes for girls in real life, too, not this weird fanfiction we've ended up in. Common sense, it's a great thing."

"How can you be so cruel?" Hikari murmured. I realized she had stopped. I turned around. "How can you just trample over people's feelings like that?" her voice rose. Tears brimmed in her eyes. "What kind of a person would say things like that? You call it stupid, but you don't know anything about it, nothing at all! What makes you think you have the right to judge people's feelings like that? You're an awful person!"

"Well, duh!" I said. "Haven't you figured it out? I'm a terrible person who hurts others and hates people and doesn't care what they think. I'll trample anything that annoys me, and it so happens I hate girls like you. You think the world revolves around you, and that it'll stop for your whims, and you'll live happily ever after, don't you? Well, guess what princess, life ain't a fairy tale! There's no prince charming waiting to sweep you off your feet, no happily ever after, no kiss after the monster's been defeated!" I said. looking down at her. "Life is cruel, and unfair, and harsh, and the world doesn't give a damn about you and your petty little problems, it'll trample you in the dust if you let it, so yeah, I'm the kind of person who tramples instead of being trampled. I don't give a damn what anyone thinks, I don't give a damn if others get hurt, I fight, and that's all there is."

Hikari cried while I spoke. She hiccuped, and I fell silent.

"You . . ." she sobbed. "Why would you think like that? That's an awful way of going through life!"

I shrugged. "It gets me though the day."

She wiped her tears. "But still, Sasori and Deidara, they both love you, you know."

At that, I froze. "No, they don't." I said, each word forceful and distinct.

"They do. They really, really do. You have to face it, sooner or later."

"That's where you're wrong. If you don't confront something, it'll eventually go away. They'll go away."

"But . . . ignoring something won't make it go away!"

"Of course it will. A person's world is made up of the things they perceive. If I refuse to perceive something, it does not exist."

"What kind of backwards logic is that!?"

"You'll understand, one day. Sometimes, it's just easier to ignore pain that let it claw at you."

"That's awful." she gasped. "How can you even look at yourself in the mirror? What about the people who love you, Akuma, does she even count for anything?"

"Akuma is my world, because the outside world is just too awful. It isn't easy, seeing the world as it really is. But, you wouldn't know anything about that. You've never experienced the world. You're still just a kid, all dreamy eyed and longing after your happily ever after. You've never known pain, so you can just keep on being innocent. You'll get trampled soon enough."

At that, she flared up, anger in her eyes. It seemed I'd hit a nerve. "Shut up! You don't know anything about me! Do you know why I only live with my mother?" she spat. She was angry. "My mother was raped by the man who calls himself my father. Now he's suing for visitation rights, so don't tell me I don't know anything about pain! You're just a coward, a liar, and a hypocrite! You say you know what pain is like, but that's just a lie too, isn't it? You hide behind your brave words, pretending to be so high and mighty, but you're just the same as any other coward, too scared to admit your weakness, too scared to face reality! You're so scared of the world you can't even let it touch you! Who's the one being trampled now, hey, Angelique?"

I grabbed her by the front of her jacket and hauled her up. Her face was close to mine, and I glared directly into her eyes. "Listen you little bitch, you have no idea what pain is like. Pain is having your skin cut open and whipped till you bleed. Pain is getting hit over and over till you limbs are black and blue. _Pain_, is getting stabbed, over and over and over again, till the flesh of your stomach is nothing but bloody ribbons and your intestines are showing through, ready to burst out all over the place like a fucking _piñata_. So shut your mouth. Talk to me like that again, and I will rearrange your face, you hear?"

She stared into my eyes, fearful. She nodded silently, too scared to speak. I was ready to let her go when Kyouki yelled.

"Underneath you!"

I looked down, saw the ground caving in. I pushed Hikari away, and fell into the dark, surrounded by snow and shadows dancing on pale blue ice.

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><p>I believe I might just be evil. This would be a cliffhanger, yes?<p>

As for my little game with the omake, there hasn't been much interest, so I think I'll just drop the whole thing. I have a lot of work anyways.

And now I leave you, as it is ridiculously late, since I stayed up just to write this, and I have school tomorrow, whoop-de-doop. As always, please review.

Peace out.

_Bonne nuit._


	41. Falling Snow

Hey, here's another chapter for you guys. Finished this earlier than I thought I would. Keep up the reviews!

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><p>Hikari scrambled back, away from the yawning hole that had opened in the ground below. Akuma had warned her about such things-areas where the thick layer of ice was treacherous and rotten, likely to give out under your feet and swallow you like a giant cold mouth. Tenshi hadn't known that, but she had pushed her away just in time. If it hadn't been for her, Hikari would have fallen as well.<p>

'_It's more than that,'_ thought Hikari_. 'She could have gotten away, but her first instinct was to help me.'_

Slowly, she crept closer, trying to peer into the crevasse, but she didn't dare go to the edge. Instead, she called out. There was no answer. Was she unconscious? Hikari knew that she needed to get help. They hadn't gone too far, so it shouldn't take her long to get back. The problem was, would she be able to remember where Tenshi had fallen? Hikari decided the important part was getting help. The longer she dawdled, the more likely Tenshi would be in trouble. Injuries from the fall and the risk of hypothermia loomed over like a physical specter. Over the horizon, the sun was already beginning to sink.

"Tenshi? Can you hear me?" There was no response. "I'm going to get help, okay? Just . . . hold on, okay? Tenshi?"

There was no response. If only she dared go to the edge . . . Hikari set out, walking as fast as she could. She was barely walking for two minutes when it began to snow, large flakes that clung to everything, wiped around by rising winds. Soon, she couldn't see anything.

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><p>"What is the meaning of this?" growled Konan. "What on earth were either of you thinking? Sasori, what possessed you to attack Deidara?"<p>

The puppet master looked at her impassively, heavy-lidded eyes blinking disdainfully. "My partner overstepped his bounds. I was putting him in his place."

"What bounds? Tenshi doesn't belong to you, hm. I was having a private moment with her that you completely ruined." Deidara tch'ed sullenly, arms crossed. "It wasn't any of your business, and you know it."

"It is my business when a brat who knows nothing of art or combat seeks to take what is mine."

"I said, Tenshi doesn't belong to you!"

"Oh really? I suppose you think she belongs to you?" Sasori's sneer expressed what he thought of the notion. "Foolish brat."

Deidara's face turned red, but he composed himself and smirked. "You seem awfully calm. You were in such a rage, were you feeling threatened perhaps? Worried that she might choose me over you? After all, you're a mere puppet that can't feel a damn thing!"

Sasori seethed with quiet rage. "_You killed her_," he spat. At that, Deidara sprang up and drew his fist back.

"ENOUGH!" Pein's roar cracked like a whip. He came down the stairs, a heavy presence that tore through the tense atmosphere. He stopped in front of the two, his usually impassive face twisted with anger. Neither of them said a thing. Deidara dropped his fist.

"Have you both taken leave of your senses?" Pein growled. "Deidara, it was made clear you are to behave yourself, what made you think you could disobey my orders and attack her?"

"Hey wait, I didn't attack her!"

Pein ignored him. "And Sasori, I expected you to show more sense than this. What possessed you to start a fight, when you have been expressly forbidden to do so? I expected more sense from you of all people. Being in this world has obviously negatively affected you. Now, where is that girl? I would have the truth of this incident from her."

Both of them shifted. Itachi spoke up in their place. "She left. Hikari as well."

Pein slapped a hand over his face and sighed. "Bring her back, then!"

"You can't." Akuma's thin voice drifted over from where she was standing, next to the window. They all turned to her. She was like a ghost, frail and weak, her figure outlined in shadows. "There's a blizzard. Angel is out in in, Hikari too. If you go out, chances are you'll never find them, let along be able to come back. It's impossible."

"Are you saying that both girls are out there freezing to death?" asked Konan. Akuma nodded weakly. Her face, hidden in the dark, was terribly pale. Konan fretted. "We must find them!"

"How do you suppose we do that?" said Kakuzu. He leaned against the wall, visibly annoyed with all of this.

"Zetsu . . ." At the call of his name, the plant-man emerged from the ground.

"No use. **How do you expect us to get around?** You see, it's all ice and rock. There's no way we can pass."

"They can't have gone far," Konan protested. "We should go out . . ."

"No," Pein said sharply. "I will not risk anyone else. Losing Tenshi is inconvenient, but . . ."

"We will find her," Konan's voice was sharp as well, as she stared down her leader. She had known him for very long, so she felt no fear. She would get her way. "I have promised that she would live. I consider the girls to be friends, I will not leave them to freeze to death, and I will accept no talk of abandoning them."

"There is nothing you can do in this weather." He eyed her with narrowed eyes, but said no more.

They settled down to wait. Deidara and Sasori didn't look at each other, and stayed silent. Everyone was silent, in much the same way as when she had been badly hurt before. Most of the Akatsuki were in their rooms, seeing as there was nothing they could do and they couldn't stand being in the same room as the two artists.

'_Stupid girl, always getting herself into trouble,_' though Deidara. He crossed his legs and arms, leant back, and stared into the air. '_And it's Sasori's fault this time, hm. What was she thinking, running out like that? I'll never understand her. But,_' and he smiled a little to himself, the corners of his mouth lifting in the bare sketch of a smirk, '_That's what I love about her. It'd be no fun if she was easy to read. With her, I'll never be bored.'_

He could just picture it. He'd bring her back with him, that much he already knew. He'd train her up, even if she had no chakra, he thought she could be quite good in taijutsu. Her wits would make up for the lack of strength, he was sure of it. He could show her his art, and maybe teach her how to do it. Normal explosives would work. She'd travel with him, and they'd blow up people together, her spitfire personality was perfect for that, yes it was, hm. She'd trust him by then, and would let him touch her. All of her. She'd be his, and she would love him.

The only problem here was Sasori. He'd shown an interest, and she was a lot more comfortable around him. That was seriously the strangest thing he could possibly have imagined. Sasori, showing any kind of emotion except anger, and at a teenager no less, well, if someone and told him that would happen he would have laughed and shoved a bomb down their throat. No matter how remarkable Tenshi was, it seemed like there was some part of her he couldn't see that made her presence desirable for that cranky old puppet-obsessed geezer. Did he simply want a new toy, to make her into a puppet? No, it would have been too easy if that was the case. He wanted her with him. Maybe he was lonely. Deidara nearly laughed out loud at that though. _'No freaking way, hm. Besides, she'll choose me. For sure.'_ He had one thing going for him. The ability to make her angry. He knew there was a thin line between love and hate, anger and passion. He intended to push her over the line.

In the meantime, it was frustrating to have to wait around like this. His gaze drifted to Akuma, still standing her vigil by the window.

Sasori stood very still, next to the second window, Akuma in the corner of his eye. He may have looked emotionless, but underneath, he was raging. How _dare_ that brat? How _dare _he? The girl was his. He had already decided it. He wanted her, which made her his. _'I should have made that clearer,'_ he thought, _'I should have spoken to her before the brat got a chance.'_ Sasori was trying not to feel threatened. _'There is simply no possible way she could decide to be with Deidara. He's nothing but an annoying and immature brat who thinks he's an artist. And, he makes her angry. She obviously despises him. Yes, there is nothing to worry about,'_ Yet, he couldn't help but brood. What if, what if? He was painfully aware of the possibility that she might go to him. She was the only one he felt he wanted, no, needed at his side. He vaguely recalled the feeling of loneliness, back in the village, when his parents had never come home. The hollow ache that hovered inside, dulled, but still present, he wanted nothing more than to be rid of it. Perhaps, by keeping the girl with him, he would relieve the feeling of loneliness that had haunted him for years. He thought, maybe, despite what he was, she could love him. Even if she did not, it didn't matter. All that was required was her presence, her sharp tongue, her eyes that saw things in a strangely pure way, as if she simply knew the way things truly were.

He had a plan to counter her mortality, of course. It would be simple, really, all he had to do was find someone to perform the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu and bring her back in an immortal body. That would be simple; he might even be able to master the jutsu himself. And then, she would always be by his side. He might teach her how to make poisons and set traps. She'd make a wonderful shinobi. After all, physical strength was not essential to become one, useful, but not essential.

He highly doubted what he felt for her was 'love.' What remained of his physical body was his heart, a core of bloody flesh, but both his physical and spiritual heart had become stunted and had withered down to nothing more than a ghost of their former selves. That didn't bother him in the least. He was a puppet. But despite that he could feel things, usually vaguely, every once in a while in a short burst. Mostly, what he felt strongly was anger.

Sasori thought about all this, watching Deidara from the corner of his eye.

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><p>Hikari pushed her way forward. The snow battered her face, leaving it raw and cold, her feet dragging through the thick white layer. Every single step was a chore. She felt so tired, the only thing she wanted was to lie down and sleep, but she knew she must go on. One foot in front of the other, steadily, hoping she was going in the right direction. She could no longer feel her feet, hands, ears, or face. The cold was in her very bones, being driven deep by the frozen wind. She had been walking for hours now, and still there was no end in sight. She trudged along, legs carving deep runnels in the snow. On and on, steadily, deliriously tired and cold.<p>

She ran full on into something. Hard, tall, it felt like a wall. She was completely blinded by the snow, so she groped along with mitten covered hands, and shuffled along the length. She came upon a corner, and groped along, turning. Her hand met glass. A window. A little further along, and she felt a door. She banged on it with the last of her strength, neither knowing nor caring if this was her destination. She simply banged, for what seemed like hours, until the door opened and she fell inside.

Hands dragged her in and voices rumbled all around, but she could scarcely see. All she knew was that she was warm at last, blessedly warm, and too tired to move. Her coat was removed, and she was propped up. A familiar face swam in front of her as her vision returned, blurry, two red eyes staring at her, sharp, before she lost consciousness.

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><p>Itachi stood back as Konan fretted over Hikari. She had Kisame carry her up to her room, and she and Akuma went to take care of her. They would have to warm her up, and quick.<p>

He closed the door. His temple throbbed, and he pressed his fingers on the bridge of his nose. It felt like something was buzzing in his ears, a voice trying to speak to him, but it was too indistinct to make out. He had first started hearing it several hours ago, and it had not lessened. He sat down on the couch, put his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, and tried to ignore it.

'_Itachi!_'

He flinched and raised his head. Something was calling him. A faint voice, coming from very far off, muffled and echoing, raw from screaming.

'_OY! Weasel! I know you can hear me!"_

Itachi stood up. Was it coming from outside?

'_Yes, you great big oaf! And here I thought you were smart! Now listen! Can you hear me? Can you hear me, damn it!'_ Itachi moved closer to the window. '_Answer me! Think your answers!_'

In his mind he suddenly saw a flash of red that coalesced into a small human shaped shadow. The same one he had seen tailing Tenshi before, ever since she had nearly died. It hovered before his eyes, but not his physical eyes. His Sharingan whirled._'Hello?'_

'_Yes! Thank me, you're finally listening! I've been calling for hours, damn you!'_

'_I noticed,'_ Itachi winced and rubbed his temple. '_Who are you? What are you?_'

'_I'll answer later! I've with Tenshi right now, you've got to come get her! There's nothing I can do but call, and she's in trouble.'_

'_But the weather . . .'_

'_Oh bugger that! I can guide you through no problem. Think a little snow is going to stop a god? I may not have my body right now, but damn it, I'm still a God!'_

'_You . . . are you sure you can guide me safely?'_

'_Of course, that's what I said, now get your ass out the door! If you don't hurry, she's really going to die, and I can't bring her back the way I am now! For me's sake, hurry!'_

'_I understand.'_ Now was not the time to question it. He grabbed his coat, and headed out. The others were too busy with Hikari, no one had noticed him. He walked thought the thick layer of snow, unable to see even a half a meter in front of him, but guided by the instructions of the red figure. She told him whenever he veered off course, and stopped him right at the spot, and instructed him to clear the snow. He did so with a small fire style jutsu. His eyes widened when he saw the hole. He peered inside. Roughly ten feet down, Tenshi lay, immobile, a spot of crimson splashed over the ice behind her head. Next to her was the red figure.

He molded chakra, sent some to his hands and feet, and climbed down. Tenshi had hit her head on a piece of ice, but the bleeding had stopped, the split blood frozen on the walls. She was frightfully pale, and cold as the blue ice that surrounded them. Shadows played around them as he hoisted the girl's limp body over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and climbed back out, mocking, twisting around playfully, almost as if they had the power to tug you back down to the abyss. Itachi ignored them, and in no time he was back to the surface.

The red figure stood in front of him, the snow passing straight through her. She seemed to turn, the outline of her growing sharper. He could make out a thin body wrapped in white bandages covered with blurry symbols, short red hair, what seemed like two black tails, and black ears. The aura that surrounded her was red hot, yet the snow did not melt. He eyed her with level eyes, and knew the only way he could see her was because of his Sharingan. _'Tenshi, what happened to you?' _he wondered. If the red girl heard, she gave no sign of it. She held out her hand.

'_Follow me.'_

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><p><em><em>Review!

Peace out.


	42. The Mad God's Idea

Hey, here's another chapter. I kinda feel like I'm on a roll recently. Mostly I think because the end is in sight. Yep, this story will end soon. My best estimate is within five chapters or so, but that's only an estimate.

My goal of 500 reviews is pretty much shot, but oh well, live goes on. There will be a sequel, though. I'm already got the basic idea for it stored in my little brain.

Review!

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><p>Hikari's eyes fluttered open. She was warm, so nice and comfortably cocooned in warmth; she felt she could just float away. She was tired too, so, so exhausted. But then it came back to her. Tenshi's stunned expression as the ground caved under her, eyes wide with shock, pale lips half-parted, how time had seemed to freeze as her hair floated up in a red streaked halo, and finally her rough shove as she pushed Hikari away. A chill ran down her back and she sat up abruptly.<p>

"Tenshi . . ." she mumbled. She turned her head to Konan, who sat by her bed. "Where's Tenshi? Oh, we've got to go get her! Is it still snowing?" She gave a cry of dismay when she saw that the flakes were falling thicker than ever. Konan laid a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down.

"Tenshi is alright. Itachi brought her back." _'Although he refuses to tell us how he found her,' _Konan added wearily. "You need to rest. Akuma is with her now."

Hikari burst into tears. Konan's eyes widened. "I'm sorry! It's my fault, if she hadn't saved me she wouldn't have . . . wouldn't have . . ." she gave a half-choked sob.

Konan lowered her head, unsure as how to deal with this. Hikari wiped at her eyes almost angrily. A head with silver hair poked into the room, and frowned.

"Would you shut up?" he growled. "Some of us are trying to sleep."

"So . . .sorry . . ."

"What the hell are you crying for, bitch?"

"When she fell, she pushed me away first, and if she hadn't done it . . . if she hadn't pushed me away . . . Maybe she wouldn't have . . ."

"That's bullshit. If the bitch hadn't, you both would have fallen, and what good would that have done? So quit it already! Your whining is getting on my fucking nerves!"

She hiccupped and shut her mouth. Konan glared at Hidan.

"Don't yell. You're making more noise than she is!"

He shrugged. "Hey, she's not crying anymore, is she? I'll see you guys tomorrow morning. If the brat starts wailing in the middle of the night, I'm slitting her throat and Pein can go fuck himself."

Konan sighed as he walked out the door. "I'm sorry about him. As much as I hate to say it, he's right. You have nothing to blame yourself for."

Hikari gripped her blanket tightly. "Before she fell, we had an argument. We both said some awful things, and I feel really bad about it. Dawn once told me that Angel has a reason for acting the way she does, that she wasn't always . . . you know, _Tenshi_. She wouldn't tell me what it is, though. Remember the pictures we looked at? I can't imagine what happened to turn that sweet little girl into the monster she is today."

"Isn't calling her a monster a bit harsh?"

"What else would you call her? Some of the things she said, they really scared me. I think she wouldn't hesitate to kill me if it served her purpose. I don't think I can look her in the eye anymore." She shivered, and wrapped her arms around herself. "You know, for a moment, I was glad she'd fallen, I almost hoped she was dead. She scared me so much! I don't mean to think these things, but . . . Sometimes I feel like she'd fit in better with, you know, people like you, maybe? She's more like the Akatsuki than she is like a normal teenage girl. She doesn't belong here."

Konan stayed silent. Then, she stood up. "That may be so. Yes, I sometimes wonder as well what happened to Tenshi. And maybe she would be better off if she stayed with us . . ."

Konan gazed out at the dancing snow, wondering what Pein would think about all this. To Konan, it seemed like an idea worth considering. Sasori and Deidara both would be ecstatic, but the problems they both caused here would only transfer if she were to come back with them. She frowned, thinking of those two and their unnatural attraction towards the girl. This warranted some further thought before a decision was made. Bringing her back might be good for Tenshi, but was it the right thing to do for the Akatsuki?

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><p>Itachi leaned against the wall right next to Tenshi's room, where she was currently resting after being brought back. Next to him was the red shadow, which had solidified even more. The young girl with a sour smirk stared up at him, almost fully tangible.<p>

"I'm surprised you can see me." she said.

"Are you going to tell me who you are?"

"Tenshi calls me Kyouki."

"As in 'madness'?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. It's a bit of a long story. To make it short, Tenshi died, drifted to my dimension, where I am the supreme god, I sent her back, therefore bringing her back from the dead, and took that opportunity to escape by using her mind as a passage to this world. My body is still in my world, and I will be sent back once she dies again. That's the gist of it."

"What are you here for? What is your purpose?"

"I just want to be entertained. I was imprisoned for a very long time, you see, and I was extremely bored. Well, now that you can see me, I can make use of you." She grinned, flashing fang.

Itachi's eyes narrowed. He did not like this one, the way her one good eye steadily regarded him as though he was nothing more than an insect. In her gaze he saw uncountable years, power beyond imagining, and a burning madness barely held at bay. Who knew what she was capable of? He would have to handle this delicately. "How so?"

"You have some very interesting powers. Those eyes of yours, especially. You can create illusions, can't you? Trap people into an illusionary world, and show then anything you want. I have an idea, and you're going to help me with it."

"What are you scheming?" Itachi said, glare darkening.

"Nothing much. I'll put my plan into action soon, while Tenshi is still weak and her mental defenses are down. While she's unconscious, you see, I have a lot more power to affect this world than when her mind is in the way. I expect your cooperation."

"What is your aim?"

"My aim? Oh, not much, I said it, I want amusement, excitement, and I think this will shake things up between Tenshi and those two boys currently lusting after her. I want them to _know_. Know Tenshi's past, know what makes her the way she is now, and perhaps attempt to understand her."

"What good could possibly come of that? Why . . ."

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you, crow? Heh, just play your part and you'll get to see as well. Aren't you curious?"

He had to admit he was. But he wouldn't give in, not to this untrustworthy specter and her outlandish claims. "I will not listen to any more of this."

He started to walk away when he heard her click her tongue. "Wait, wait, wait. Are you thinking I asked you for a _favor_, out of the goodness of your heart? Of course, you'll be compensated."

"You have nothing to offer, ghost. Be gone."

"Don't say that." She grinned. "I can tell you how to go home."

He was so stunned her turned around, eyes wide. "How . . ."

"That jutsu you've been working on, you, puppet boy, plant man, and the spiky haired punk with a god complex? The last piece of the puzzle, the one that's missing, I can give that to you. I know how to travel through dimensions, how do you think I got here? I am a God, and I have the knowledge adequate to my station. Once I get a better understanding of how your eyes work, I can adjust my knowledge to complete your technique, and bam, you're home in no time."

"You wouldn't . . ."

"Oh, I would. Do we have a deal?"

He couldn't let this chance pass. The jutsu had been stagnating for weeks now, with no progress in sight. Pein had been working himself ragged, and Itachi himself was at his wits end. This might be their only chance to find a way home. Even if he must dance to the mad god's tune . . .

"We do." he spoke through gritted teeth. "When will you require my assistance?"

"Soon. You'll know when I do. Don't worry, it should be easy for you, crow."

She chuckled and he hurried away from her. She didn't follow, only watched his back with a humorless smile toying about her lips. Things would soon get much more interesting. If things went well, she would even get to see a whole new world. Now, wouldn't that be fun?

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><p>Deidara stood in front of Tenshi's room, trying to work up the courage to go in. He sneaked glances around him, making sure Sasori wasn't somehow watching him, and reached for the doorknob. The door opened and slammed him in the face.<p>

"OW!"

"What are you doing here?" Akuma hissed, closing the door behind her. Deidara rubbed his nose, and his fingers came away wet.

"Shit, I'm bleeding, hm."

"Go. Away. I'm sick of you hovering around Angel and getting her hurt!"

"I'm the one who's hurt! Got a tissue or something?"

"No! Shoo! Go away!"

"Come on, that last one was sort of Sasori's fault. He attacked me!"

"I don't care! Out!"

"Alright, alright!"

He pretended to go into his room, but only waited for Akuma to leave before sneaking back. But, when he put his hand on the doorknob, his courage failed. He thought of what he'd done, and his ears flamed. He had been about to _confess_ to her, what was _wrong_ with him?! The feeling of her soft, warm body in his arms, of her scent, of her hair, that had been the most wonderful thing in the world, so intoxicating, it had driven him crazy. He _wanted_ her. He'd had women before, but this wasn't the same.

And now he'd gone and made a complete fool of himself. There was no way he'd be able to look her in the eyes with reddening like a little boy. He suddenly felt scared as well as embarrassed. What if he'd actually said what he'd been about to say, what would she have answered? Doubt clawed at him, and his vision of his future with her was now not so sharp and sure after all.

His hand fell away from the doorknob. He took a step back, and returned downstairs to the couch.

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><p>That night, after everybody had gone to sleep, Kyouki walked through the house on silent feet, and passed through the door to Itachi's room. He slept, still as death, unaware of the shadow looming over him. Her hand stretched out, to his forehead, and passed through into his head. He frowned in his sleep, his hands clawing at the covers, and his lips tightening with pain. She balled her hand and tore it out.<p>

Itachi was suddenly standing next to his body. He stared down at his sleeping self with wide eyes.

"Let's go." said Kyouki. She grabbed his wrist, and her hand felt burning hot. He shoved her away.

"What did you do?" he snarled. "What on _earth_ did you do?"

"Relax, crow, nothing much. I said I needed your cooperation, and you agreed to give it, remember? Now, be a good crow and follow me. You'll be safe, I promise."

"Your promises mean nothing to me, ghost!"

"Oh really? You don't have a choice, though. Come on, we've got a few more people to pick up."

He followed her after a moment, feeling helpless, as she went up to where Deidara was sleeping, on the couch, and repeated the maneuver. Now, Deidara stood, sleepily rubbing his eye, before seeing his body and yelling "What the hell is going on? Okay, I'm sleeping right? This is a dream, hm, right, hm?"

"Yes. I am God. Now, come along, sweetie, I have something nice to show you." She took his hand and tugged him along. He followed, stumbling blearily, before taking a good look at her.

"Hey, you're not god!"

"I am, and I would smite you for that if I had the time. Now, stay with the crow while I pick up our last member."

She went up to Tenshi's room. Inside, Sasori hovered over her.

"What the hell are you doing here, hm?" Deidara jabbed at finger at him. It passed right through the puppeteer's body. "Shit." He didn't notice any of them, or did not see them was more like it.

This time, Kyouki pushed her fingers into Sasori's human core, and when they came out he stood next to his fake body, blinking stupidly. His body tumbled down with the dry clack of wood on wood.

"What . . ." he stared at the party. A cat girl with red hair, Itachi looking weary, Deidara half-convinced this was a dream, and none of them tangible enough to faint and pretend this never happened. Said cat girl clapped her hands together.

"Alright boys, gather round and listen up. My name is Kyouki, and you may think of me either as a mad god or the personification of Tenshi's madness, depending on your philosophical leanings. Today, we are going to go on a little adventure through Tenshi's mind. I'll be your guide this evening, please stay close and make sure not to touch anything. If you get lost, I cannot guarantee your safety. Here is my assistant, Mr. Crow, who will be providing us with technical support. He doesn't talk much, I'm afraid, and knows much less, so please address all your questions to me. I doubt I'll answer them as they'll probably be low on the intellectual scale, so try not to waste my time."

The three stared at her like she was completely insane. Itachi rubbed a finger between his eyebrows, Deidara's visible eye bulged, and one of Sasori's eyebrows was raised so high it nearly disappeared into his hair.

"What?" he said drily.

"Yeah, could you explain that in term the rest of us can understand? Who the hell are you?"

She stomped her foot. "I said, I'm . . ."

"Can we get this over with?" Itachi cut in. "I would like this madness to end as soon as possible."

"Fine." She went over to Tenshi's sleeping form, and beckoned them closer.

"By the way, Sasori, what were you doing here?" Deidara shot a suspicious glance at him.

"None of your business, brat."

"Cut the jealous banter." Kyouki snapped.

"Does she remind you a bit of Tenshi?" Deidara whispered.

"Maybe just a tad."

Kyouki took Itachi hand in her left, and put her right on Tenshi's forehead. She whimpered in her sleep. Itachi's Sharingan whirled to life, and suddenly they were all plunging into a dark expanse of nothing, two red eyes with tree black commas merging together hovering over them, the cat girl giggling while Deidara screamed and Sasori bit his lip, down, down, and deeper into the depths of Angel's mind.

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><p>The next chapter is likely to be quite long, and so will take a while to write. In the meantime, review, people!<p>

Peace out.


	43. The Past Part I-Beginning

And, I'm back! My exams are over, but this took me a while to write. It ended up being so long that I cut it into three parts.

I also drew a picture for the cover.

Review!

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><p>They fell into a world of black with neither up nor down, left nor right, the silence pressing on their eardrums. It didn't last long; before they knew it they were lying on a flat sheet of matter, glossy black like a dark mirror, which passed for the ground. Their reflections were swallowed whole, and there was nothing anywhere, just darkness. They could see themselves, their bodies, but cast no shadows and almost seem to glow.<p>

"Where are we?" Deidara said. He caught sight of Kyouki. "You! What the . . . is this some kind of dream?"

"We went over this." she said.

"So that stuff you said . . . about being in Tenshi's mind . . ." he stared, eyes wide and lost.

"All true, sweetie." she patted his elbow, unable to comfortably reach his shoulder.

Sasori frowned. He did not like the look of this girl, but it seemed as though they were at her mercy. He twitched his fingers, but no chakra gathered at his heart. It made sense; they had no physical bodies right now. They were souls floating about, tied to a little girl with cat ears that grinning with barely concealed madness. His frown deepened.

"Looks like Pinocchio gets it. Don't worry, no harm will come to you. I wouldn't want my toys to get broken, now would I? As I said, this is just a little trip. Now, let's get started." She clapped her hands.

The space around them warped, shuddering and groaning, before shattering and falling away in a curtain of smooth black pieces to reveal a throne room. It was huge, the ceiling extending so high it couldn't be seen; the walls were covered in a diamond shaped pattern of alternating white and red, the floor tiles checkered in the same colors. Columns of white marble rose on either side of the dais, withered roses snaking up, brown and thorny, all along their length. The throne itself sat on the dais, a grand thing with a high back and arms carved with roses and thorny vines. It was made of white marble veined in red and gold, and plush red velvet covering it.

Sasori approached the throne. When he stood at the edge of the dais, he hesitated briefly before climbing up. On the seat of the throne was a crown. A light circlet of gold, fine and pure, casting no light. An angel's halo. He reached out to take it.

"You're not supposed to do that." Kyouki's voice rang out. He froze, and looked back at her. "That's for her to wear, if she ever comes back out here. You shouldn't touch it."

"Where is this?" Itachi asked. He looked to the other end of the hall, where a giant black gate hovered, chained shut with a twister chain. It looked like it had been opened, only to be pounded back together by unskilled hands, the metal twisted and black.

"A representation of her mind. An inner world, to make things simpler. Everybody has one; in my world, they're much easier to access, but since I'm bound by the rules of yours, I had no choice but to go through you." She waved her hand across the room. "If Tenshi's mind was healthy, we would have found her sitting on her throne, wearing her crown, the queen of her own little world. But, she'd hiding right now. If you look behind the throne, to the left, there's a door. We'll go through there."

"Isn't this dangerous . . . for Tenshi?" asked Deidara. He was in awe. He was dreaming, there was no doubt about it now, but it felt so real he just went with it.

"Not really." Kyouki shrugged. "She's unconscious right now, so she can't hurt us and we can't hurt her . . . All she'll see is nightmares. Shall we go?"

Sasori was staring at the halo again. He imagine how it would look on Tenshi's head, how she would look as a queen. He smirked. It would be quite fitting.

Kyouki led them through the door. Inside, was a corridor lined with more doors. The ground, wall and ceiling bore the diamond pattern, and the doors were informingly made of golden wood. There was something strange, however. A substance like thick black ink oozed from the doors, shimmering with red highlights as they strained, with varying intensities, to get out through the cracks on the sides, over, and under. It seemed to stain everything, splattered over the hall like blood after a battle. Every once in a while a scream or a sob, muffled, came tearing through. Deidara shuddered. Itachi stepped away from a particularly large pool of gunk. Sasori kept his eyes on Kyouki as she selected a door.

"This is the hall of memories." she said. "I've been here before, so I'll guide you. Do not stray; if you get lost here, I won't be able to find you, and it'll go very badly for you when she wakes up." She opened the door. It was one of those from which the gunk was trying to get out, but when she opened it the inside was nothing but bright light.

Deidara stepped back, but Kyouki took her hand in his and tugged gently. They all went in, Itachi last of all.

They were in a theater. The crowd was silent, and a beautiful music played. Over on the stage, a young ballerina worked through her steps, perfectly in time, her movements supple and graceful. The outfit she wore was pink tulle, light, fluttering around her with every step. Her ash blond hair was tied in a bun with a wreath of pink flowers around it.

"_Arielle looks like an angel,"_ a small voice whispered next to them. There, sitting in the seat closest to the aisle, was Tenshi. Deidara leant down closer to make sure it was really her.

It was. Just like in the pictures he had seen, only a bit younger. She couldn't be older than four. Her white blond hair held in pigtails by blue ribbons, matching her wide innocent eyes. Her dress was blue as well, lacy, very proper, with matching shoes with little bow ties. She looked so innocent, so utterly pure, they were shocked into silence.

"_Shush."_ the woman next to her said. Her features resembled Tenshi's, only finer and more elegant; the low cut dress she wore was red as apples, and a sapphire pendant dripped at her throat like a drop of sky. She gave her daughter a quick look of discontentment, and went back to watching her elder daughter's every step as she danced. Tenshi looked on, enraptured, but every so often she would steal glances at her mother, at the way she exulted at the elder's grace and skill. Tenshi fiddled with a bow on her skirt, head down. The look in her eyes was mixed admiration for her sister and longing for the look her mother sent.

The scene blurred. The red of the mother's dress, the light music, Angelique's bright blue eyes, they all melted together, swirling, before reforming. This time the scene was fuzzier; details were missing, the room holding only the hint of a dinner table, at which two adults and three children ate. There was no dialogue, but Tenshi's mouth moved ceaselessly. She was begging.

Another shift; this time, they recognized the ballet room from the photograph. Things were a lot clearer now. Ten little girls around four and five years old were scattered around; Tenshi, wearing a blue leotard, stood awkwardly in front on the mirror, fiddling with her hair tie. Then, a girl came up to her with a friendly wave. They began to speak, or the other girl spoke while Tenshi shyly nodded, but only one phrase could distinctly be heard, clear and sharp as a bell.

"_My name is Dawn, what's yours?"_

The scene shifted. An angry woman, arguing with Tenshi's mother while Tenshi listened at the door. She huddled down with her knees drawn up to her chest, until a young Akuma came and held out her hand.

There was a succession of fuzzy scenes, short, barely images. Tenshi's ballet classmates laughing as she tried to practice, until she cried and ran off. Dawn patting her soothingly on the shoulder when she fell and twisted her ankle. Her sister, frustratingly trying to adjust her posture. The teacher telling her mother, the words ringing out, '_she has no talent_.' The other girls laughing. It always came back to the girls laughing.

And Dawn. Dawn sharing her lunch, dawn being so patient even though she was the class star, Dawn smiling, Dawn showing her a book, which she wanted to read, only to be thrilled when Tenshi admitted she could already read and read it aloud for her. Dawn always seemed to be happy, and when she was with her Tenshi also smiled.

But laughing. The laughing always came back, with taunted words and cruel looks, lips curving sinisterly in faceless heads. Like dolls clattering on unseen strings, their movements twitchy, limbs jerking back and forth. They saw nightmares-like scenes with those dolls, scary images of the girl standing in a spotlight while dolls danced around her clad in floating pink and white dresses, mocking. One handed her a rose. When she reached out to take it, a wooden hand grabbed her wrist and dug in, and then Tenshi realized she was a doll too.

Then the images stopped for a moment. Deidara wiped sweat off his brow.

"What the hell was that?" he said.

"Sorry," said Kyouki. "I'm having trouble controlling the flow of memories. I didn't mean to show you that . . ."

"What was it?" asked Itachi, frowning. "Not memories . . ."

"A different kind of memory, an internal one, those are a bit too disturbing to show you. Nightmares, secret thoughts and fantasies, the inner workings of her mind brought up to the surface and given form, digging those up is dangerous."

Sasori noticed that the god seemed in pain. She breathed hard, and bit her lips.

"I want to see them." he said. She looked at him like he was crazy.

"You do understand there are things in her mind that aren't meant to be brought up like this. Her mind is unstable, and a very scary place."

"I don't care." he said. "I want to know."

"We'll see what happens."

And they went back to watching the memories.

The scenes of Tenshi losing her temper started, of yelling with a red face and throwing tantrums till she was sent back to the changing room or even back home, to face her disappointed mother, remembered in stark detail. Her mother's eyes were cold, annoyed, her father drank a glass of wine, so deeply red, that red was what she remembered best.

'_I'm sorry_.' Her little words were weak. '_I'll do it better next time_.'

But one day her mother came to fetch her, and the scenes of her practicing ballet were over. A birthday, with no one there, five candles on the cake. She entered elementary school.

There was a slight pause as Deidara pondered something.

"Didn't Tenshi say she hated it, and quit after one year, hm?"

"Well evidently she lied." Sasori said drily. "It makes me wonder what else she lied about." _I want to know, _he thought. _I want to know her._

Kyouki gave him a pondering look. Deidara shrugged, and the scene shifted.

The class seemed much the same as the ballet school. Some people they recognized, although they still had no faces. More laughing, more taunting. More temper tantrums. A scene at the doctor. Pills by her plate, every morning. More laughing. Shoving in the corridor. Finding her stuff scattered outside. Mean messages scribbled on the blackboard. Laughing, laughing, so cruel she couldn't stand it. The memories were jumbled, fragmented, and every once in a while they caught a glimpse of a nightmare; a ballroom with dancing puppets, a stage on which she stood, holding a rose, but without an audience, the ballroom again, being tossed around by waltzing figures. These were soon cut short by Kyouki, and the memories resumed.

Then a very, very sharp scene. Tenshi at her school, sitting at her desk by the window. She looked about six, maybe seven years old. For the first time since the ballet performance, they could see her clearly. Her hair was still in twin ponytails, but a shade darker now, flowing down and shining dark gold in the sun. Her pale eyes were not innocent; they were sad and haunted, with dark spots under them. She'd grown, but not much; she no longer wore pretty dresses with ribbon and lace. Her red t shirt and blue jeans were practical, a bit scruffy.

On the row next to her, the girls were talking, passing notes. Tenshi observed them out of the corner of her eye. Then, the bell rang, and she stood, preparing to take her lunch to the cafeteria. The teacher was gone. As she passed them, a foot shot out and Tenshi hit the ground flat on her face.

Laughter rang out. The dolls flashed in darkness.

Deidara was standing over her, so he got the best look. As the little girl pushed herself up off the floor, a trickle of blood dripping from her nose, the look on her face was frightening. Eyes open wide, nose wrinkled up, mouth drawn so tight her lips were bloodless white, she looked more like a lunatic than the same girl with innocent eyes looking at her sister dancing. He recognized that look. He'd been around psychopaths long enough to know what that look meant.

She got up, slowly, keeping her head down. The girls had stood, and were walking away, laughing, talking. Tenshi wiped her nose, and saw the blood.

She grabbed a chair and swung it in a wide arc. The girl cried out in pain, Tenshi slammed the chair over her again and again, face horrendously twisted. She kept hitting until the chair was bloody and a teacher pulled her off, still swinging her mangled chair, eerily silent even as blood ran down her lips where she'd bitten down. The girl whimpered in pain, crying pitifully, blood seeping on the floor. Tenshi smiled, and Deidara recognized that smile; frozen, twisted across her face nearly from ear to ear. A slight laugh starting to bubble through her lips.

A shift. The principal saying, _'We have to expel her.' _Tenshi crying, a child again, '_I didn't _mean _to . . ._' And that was the last of that school.

She was put in a new one. Another sharp scene. Dawn springing to her feet as Tenshi entered the classroom, her face radiating joy.

'_It's you! _Angel!_'_

Scenes blurred into one another after that. She was friends with Dawn. They were almost always together, playing, running through the forest, climbing up trees, at the park, sharing lunch, at Dawn's huge house; the swings were a favorite of Tenshi's, and her laughter rang out happily whenever they went to them.

'_It's like I'm flying! Like I have wings!'_

'_Of course you have wings, dummy, you're an angel!'_

But at the same time, things were worse. She was cornered after school by some boys who pushed her to the ground and pulled her hair and smashed her things, growing bolder every time.

'_Bloody Angie!'_ They called. They knew what had happened at the previous school. _'Come on, bloody Angie, do it like before! They all say it, how you beat that girl and got blood all over the place. Hit us like you did that girl! You can't do it! You're scared, huh? I'll bet she's scared! Scared of blood?'_ More laughter. Mocking. Taunting. _'Bloody Angie, bloody Angie, _bloody Angie!_'_

A new figure appeared. He was a boy, older than her by several years, who tended to her injuries. He had a rough look about him, and his own hurts to tend. His ash blond hair went all over the place, wild and unkept, but a little darker than hers, and he had the same eyes, a light, blue-gray, so clear. He wasn't very distinct, but there was the definite sense of him being big and strong.

'_You know, Angel, if you don't do something you're going to get seriously hurt.'_ he said, applying a band aid to her knee. _'They'll keep pushing to see how far they can go.'_

'_But what am I supposed to do?'_ she whined, pitifully. He sighed.

'_What I did. You've got to show them '_bloody Angie'_ else they won't learn.'_

'_But I don't _want _to be bloody Angie!'_

'_Listen, Angel.'_ He sat next to her, on what seemed like her bed. _'Sometimes to protect yourself or people you care for you have to do some bad things. Become someone you wouldn't think you could be.'_ he ruffled her hair. _'Sorry, sis, but you have to be bloody Angie, else you'll keep getting hurt.'_

'_But why her? I don't _want_ to be her! I want to be like Ari!'_

He sighed, again. _'You can't, sis, Arielle's a special case. You and I, we're the same, y'know? Mom and dad never wanted either of us, they were happy with perfect _Arielle_,'_ he spat out the name like a curse. _'You've got to do what I did, find what you're good at and use it to survive. You want to be an angel. I understand. You want to be mom's angel, just like Arielle, but you'll never do it. You and I, we're demons, Angel. Can't get away from it. You've got a knack for fighting, and one heck of a temper, just like me. You're a sweet girl, so sweet, and you mean well, but you'll snap again, take my word for it, those pills don't do shit, I know, they tried the same with me. People see you as bloody Angie now, there's no point fighting it. Be bloody Angie, or get trampled. Your choice.'_

The next scene, Tenshi smashed a boy's nose in.

Tenshi was now the strong one. She chased away a snarling dog, defended Dawn from neighborhood bullies, and kept playing like a child, but when Dawn was not around her temper came back and she smashed everything and cried about it afterwards. She got into fights, kicking and scratching and punching, grinning all the while, and soon she stopped crying altogether.

Kyouki gave a grunt of pain, and suddenly they spun into a room with a mirror, stretching from the floor to the ceiling, two columns on either side, covered with blooming roses. Tenshi, a child, stood in front, wearing a white shift, her expression mournful. But her reflection in the mirror was wrong. It had red eyes.

"What's going on, hm?" Deidara asked. He reached out a hand, but it passed through Tenshi's shoulder. "Oy! Tenshi!"

"Kyouki, are you alright?" Itachi knelt down to the god, who was clutching her head, biting back a scream.

"Damn it!" she growled. "You're not supposed to see this!"

The little girl stretched out a hand, and placed it on the mirror's surface, each finger connected to her reflection. Then, something strange happened.

The reflection's hand pushed out of the mirror, slowly, their fingers intertwined closely. She grinned, even though Tenshi didn't.

They switched places.

Tenshi with the blue eyes stood and cried, the tears running thick down her cheeks, while Tenshi with the red eyes strode past them, leaving, grinning wickedly.

The next scene was of Tenshi straddling a boy, her hands at his throat, while Dawn cried at her to stop. She sobbed and sobbed, and in that scene, all that could be heard were the sobs, the white of Tenshi's eyes as they widened, she looked completely mad, face distorted by that wide grin.

She fought more and more, beating the boys at her elementary school before being stopped in the streets by middle school kids who wanted to see 'bloody Angie.' She got herself beaten down many times, but came back and jumped them when they were alone. She fought dirty, and didn't seem to care.

Dawn was worried. They could see it in her eyes when she looked at the cuts, bruises, split lips, black eyes, and chipped teeth Tenshi regularly sported. She was nearly ten years old.

Suddenly there was a rip. As if things were crumbling, the scene violently rearranged itself into what looked like the front of a house. Tenshi stood, hands curled into fists, angry. Her brother stood, a packed suitcase at his side.

'_Why are you leaving?'_ she yelled. _'How could you?'_

The look he gave her sent shocked her into silence. He simply didn't care; his eyes were blank, annoyed. _'I'm sick of this house. I'm sick of precious Arielle, I'm sick of mom fawning over her, I'm sick of you. _

'_You said we were the same!'_

'_So . . . ah, forget it. I have a bus to catch. You'll get when you're older.' _

'_Wait! Don't leave me here! You can't leave me here! You said we were both demons!'_

'_That was years ago. Sheesh, didn't think you'd take it so seriously. Let it go, sis. Just let it go. If you're smart you'll get the hell out of here. I've got a job waiting down south, I'll save money, go to college, and my life together.'_

'_Will you come back for me?'_

'_No.' _

He left, and that glimmer of hope died.

A year later, they moved to LA.

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><p>Review!<p>

Peace out.


	44. The Past Part II-Catalyst

Here's the second part. A slight warning, there is some violence. Nothing too graphic, but reader discretion is advised.

I expect a lot of reviews for this. This is what you've all been waiting for (I hope).

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><p>The school she was put in was a different world. Dingy, wild, rough, an awful place. There weren't many details, the people as faceless as always, but she wasted no time in making a name for herself. They saw her walking through the front gates with her chin held high and a glare in her eyes. She caught the attention of some girls in the hallway, a short confrontation, she was hoisted by the front of her shirt, a flash and the girl was lying on the floor with blood coming out of her mouth. Tenshi kicked her in the gut before walking away, sparing barely a condescending glance. A shift, and she was fighting some boys in an alley, giving as good as she good even though she was outnumbered, but finally being beaten down.<p>

The next scene, she attacked the boys, one at a time, when they weren't expecting it.

Deidara laughed.

"What's so funny?" said Sasori.

"She's a little monster! I like it, hm!"

"It's true she lacks morals." Itachi commented. "But then, the same can be said of us shinobi."

They went back to watching. The scenes were uniquely fights, nearly all of which Tenshi won, because she was always careful not to get ganged up on, fought dirty whenever she could, and was not above bringing a knife into the fray. Then, a new person appeared. He was tall, roughly in his late teens, wearing scuffed jeans and a t-shirt, and had caught up to Tenshi by the school gate as she left. Her short, sleeveless shirt was ragged, clinging to her flat chest and showing bruises and cuts on her arms belly and back. Her jeans had been cut off below the knee, and she walked in heavy boots. Her hair was longer, darkening, still tied up in childish twin ponytails. It was a little less than a year after she had moved.

"_You're smaller than the rumors say, Angie."_

"_What do you want?"_ She shied away, legs spreading slightly in preparation for a fight. She raised her fist up.

"_They say you're a little demon with an angel's face, who beats guys up, smiling like the Cheshire cat, like this,"_ he pulled on the corner of his mouth in a mock smile. "_They say you laugh, too. Do you know what they call you?"_

"_Bloody Angie. I know."_

"_I'd love to hear how you got that name. Though I must say, the rumors were not misleading; you do have an angel's face."_

She flushed an angry red.

"_Although, it'll take a bit more time for you to fill out. Hide the face, cut the hair, and you look like an eight year old boy."_

She launched a punch, but he caught her wrist almost delicately. _"Don't get mad. I do have a reason for coming to talk to you."_

"_Oh yeah? What is it?"_ She ripped her arm out of his hold and stepped back so fast she stumbled. Her glare threatened to tear a hold through him.

"_You know what I see when I look at you? A stone in the rough, all dirty and dull. Who knows what might emerge with a little care? A diamond, a ruby, a sapphire, or maybe just a worthless piece of quartz? I believe you have potential. You are fierce, ruthless, and you seem to take an . . . unholy pleasure in beating people down. So small and so strong, but I think nobody ever taught you to fight properly. Your instincts and reflexes are sharp as a blade. You just need a little . . . perfecting."_

Tenshi was still glaring, but less strongly. She swallowed. "_What do you want with me then? What are you here for?"_

"_I have an offer. I lead a local . . . organization; we've been around for a while, and all our recruits are in this high school or have graduated from it, like me. We call ourselves the Red Wings. Our ambition is to take over the school, and I would like you to help."_

The next scene, the man everybody called the boss introduced her to the rest of the Red Wings. They were a ragtag bunch of teenagers and young adults, gathering in an underground bar. She was presented, examined, punched a guy in the face for asking if she was a boy, and was accepted with a ruffle of her long hair. They gave a toast, drank beer, although the boss shoved a soda in her hands and wouldn't let her drink alcohol.

Then, the school takeover started. Those scenes were blurry; there was no order to them, and Tenshi had no part in the planning stages. Her role was exclusively to fight. She was almost always accompanied by another member, sometimes by the boss himself, and given advice. She got stronger. She fought better. And the Red Wings took over the school.

After that, she was called upon to fight less frequently, mostly in turf wars with other gangs. She relished every fight, with a smile and eyes open wide.

The Red Wings were a family. They hung out in the underground bar that was their base, drank, laughed, played around, tested each other, and Tenshi was a part of it. She looked happy, wild, energetic. She boasted, clashed, laughed at jokes, was sometimes the butt of one, and everyone accepted her. She was the youngest, so they were found of teasing her about her height and lack of curves. The boss would often ruffle her hair, smiling down at her in an unique, crooked way, and she would grin back.

The boss was a tattoo artist. They saw her getting her first one, the gang insignia on her chest like the rest of the members. A single, stylized red wing, just underneath the collarbone, over the heart. She never so much as flinched as the needle punctured her skin and blood ran down to soak her shirt. When the boss was done, she was beaming with pride. That evening in the underground bar, she removed the bandaged to show it off.

"_I'm a real member now! See?" _

I belong. I belong. I belong, I belong, I belong I belongIbelongIbelongIbelong . . .

That voice echoed, not muffled like the conversation that was part of her memories, but sharp and clear. It repeated, over and over again, scarcely more than a whisper.

"What was that?" asked Deidara, looking around for the source. But the voice had none. Soft and quiet, it surrounded everything.

"Her thoughts are bleeding through." Kyouki said, frowning. "Like before. I'm keeping a lid on it, though."

"Why? I want to know what she was thinking, hm."

"Brat, don't you think this is enough?" Sasori said harshly. He was profoundly disturbed at seeing all her memories like this. Like he was invading her mind. He'd said he wanted to know, and he did, but he was starting to understand that what they were doing was not _right_. He'd said it, and he regretted it. He would be seeing parts of her that he had no right to see without her permission.

"But . . ."

"He's right." said Itachi. "This is already beyond what common decency should allow us to see. A person's memories are not something to be invaded lightly. Nor for someone's amusement." His emotionless eyes were directed to Kyouki. Her lips drew taunt in a smile that was more ill than amused.

"I know."

The voice had stopped. The scene had changed. Still in the underground bar, a party was under way. Tenshi was older, starting to fill out. She wore a low cut top, cut off to expose her belly, the red wing tattoo on her chest proudly visible. She had others now. A white rose on her shoulder, covered with thorns, a dead branch snaking its way from right hip to bellybutton, a string of small crows over her left ribs, and there was the sense that her already revealing clothes hid more of them. Most prominent, on her shoulder blades, were large red wings. She had gotten all of them on impulse, letting her boss decide what to do, and he was more than happy to make her body into his own personal canvas.

As the party when on, both Deidara and Sasori noticed that the way the boss was looking at Tenshi changed. He eyed her growing curves with approval and patience, as if bidding his time.

She received a pair of brass knuckles, all shiny and new. She put them on eagerly, still as energetic as when she had first joined. Her eyes shone. She was fourteen years old, and the party was for her.

They took a picture with an old fashioned Polaroid. All the gang was there, and Tenshi was in the middle, grinning like there was no tomorrow, punching the air with her brass knuckles. The shutter clicked, and she was handed the photograph.

"_Is it okay if I keep it?" _

"_Sure. We can always take more."_

They followed as she walked home alone, in the dark, grinning at her picture. She shivered slightly, and looked up. In the sky, the moon took up all the space, casting pitch black shadows and dyeing everything else white, the street, the tall skyscrapers, the line of trees, the empty road.

Suddenly, a hand snaked out of nowhere, a cloth was pressed to her mouth, and everything went dark.

The next scene came into focus as she woke up. A room, square, illuminated only faintly by a flickering light bulb. Her shoes were gone. Next to her, a shape huddled in the corner, shivering. It looked up through a curtain of colorless hair and mouthed words. Tenshi couldn't hear them. She blinked, slowly.

The shape uncurled. It was a woman with makeup smeared like a bruise, long hair, and torn clothes. She laid her hand on Tenshi's shoulder.

"_Wake up. Please. You have to wake up. Your name. What's your name?"_

"_Angel . . ."_ Tenshi mumbled. She pushed herself to a sitting position.

"_Angel. That's good. That's pretty. Don't forget it, okay? I'm Louise. Can you say it? Please?"_

"_Louise."_

"_Thank you."_

"_Where is this?"_

"_Hell."_

"_Why are we down here? Who are you?"_

Louise shook her head. She was so scared she couldn't speak. Her eyes roamed over Tenshi, and she suppressed a sob with a bruised hand.

"_Dear Lord, you are just a child . . ."_ Tears streamed down her face. _"I am sorry . . . so sorry . . ."_

"_What . . ."_

Suddenly Louise grabbed Tenshi by her shoulders_. "Listen to me, Angel, no matter what happens, you can't make him angry, okay? Don't . . . if he's not angry he won't . . . he won't . . ." _

The door grinded open with a bone chilling whine. Slowly, it opened, spilling light into the little room.

"_No matter what, Angel. No matter what he does."_

A man stepped in. Only he wasn't a man.

He was tall, bulky, but he had no face. Shadows clung to him, and the smell of blood pervaded the air when he approached.

The woman screamed. He grabbed her and pressed a cloth over her mouth; in an instant, she was unconscious. He hauled her up and left, closing the door behind him. Tenshi had watched, with a shell-shocked expression.

Sometime later, the screams began.

Tenshi huddled in a corner of the room, her hands clasped over her ears, a tear squeezing past her tightly shut eyes. She shivered in terror as howls, screams, cries, pleas for mercy tore through the metal door as if it was nothing but paper.

"_I'm next . . ."_ Those little words would scarcely have been audible in that room, but in the silence of her memories, echoed as loud as if she'd cried out in despair.

The screams were getting weaker. Soon, they stopped.

Tenshi stood, legs shaking, clammy hands groping along the wall. Her ponytails had come undone, masking her face, a curtain shining like spun gold in the light filtering through the open door. It opened slowly. Too slowly. Her ragged breathing echoed, her heart beat in her throat. They could hear each sound.

"What's going to happen?" asked Deidara. He watched with eyes open wide. "Hey, Kyouki? What's happening?"

She didn't answer. Her eyes were cast down, half-shut.

"OY! Answer me! What's . . ."

"Be quiet." Sasori's voice cracked like a whip. He knew what was about to happen. His fist tightened, his teeth ground down, but he refused to look away.

She kicked and fought much harder than Louise had. They smelled the fumes along with her and saw the scene fade to black.

"I'm going to skip this next part." said Kyouki.

"Why? Don't kid around . . ."

"What's fine." said Itachi with a slight nod. His eyes were shut, eyebrows drawn painfully tight.

Things started up again. Deidara's eyes widened even further. The room was dark, all black and red shadows, indistinct and hazy, metal things flashing on the wall as a light bulb flickered back and forth into life.

Tenshi was lying on a table, bound at her wrists and ankles by leather straps. Her hair, red streaks soaking into the gold, splayed out under her head like sunrays, a strand clinging to a blood-spattered cheek. More blood dripped slowly from the table onto the floor. Her lips slightly parted, eyes dull and blank, bruises and cuts covering every inch of exposed skin, she lay, barely conscious. The man towered over her, a knife glinting in his hand. He walked away, replacing it somewhere on his person.

A fly buzzed and landed on her lips.

Slowly, she moved. She licked her lips, smearing a trickled of blood and making the fly buzz away, and gritted her teeth. A feverish light shone in her eyes. She tugged at the straps binding her wrists, shifting this ways and that. Then, her hand slick with blood, she slipped it out of the binding. Hand scurrying like a red and white spider she fumbled at the other one, then sat up, biting back a scream to untie her ankles. She clambered down, one hand pressed over her mouth to muffle her breathing, and ran out.

There was a corridor. On one end, a staircase. Next to it was the iron door leading into the room where she had been kept. She ran, as fast as she could, nearly tripping up the stairs, when she heard a voice calling from the dark room. It was thin, weak, and the words were indistinct, but they stopped her clean. After only a moment's hesitation, she went back down and pushed the door open. The grinding of the door reverberated throughout the corridor, but she pressed on. Inside, was another girl, a little younger than Tenshi. She shot in, grabbed her and hoisted her out.

"_See the stairs, go up. Now, hurry! Before he comes back!"_

The girl ran as fast as she could, and opened the door when she was up. The warm sunlight streamed through. She made it out. Tenshi was right behind her.

A hand clamped down on her ankle.

She screamed as she was dragged back. She kicked and clawed at the stairs.

The man was angry. Rage boiled off of him in waves. He threw her down the stairs and was on her in a flash. There was a scuffle. Tenshi fought with all she had. Kicking and biting, and clawing so hard her nails were ripped off, screaming. Somewhere, somehow, the man brandished a knife. He grabbed her by her hair.

He drove it to the hilt into her belly. Her eyes went so wide, her pupils seemed nothing more than points.

He stabbed over and over again. She stopped screaming after a while, lying nearly comatose on the floor as the knife drove into her countless times. In and out, slick with blood and gore, the knife flashed. Her surroundings blurred, and vanished.

Tenshi lay in a growing pool of blood. Then, everything seemed to freeze.

_I am going to die._ The disembodied voice that floated was hers. _My body feels numb._

The man turned away from Tenshi. Blood dripped over his hand, and his knife was pure red.

_I don't want to die. It's not my fault. I . . . it's not fair. It wasn't supposed to be this way. It's their fault. Everyone else. They made me this way._

_It's not FAIR!_

Her hand groped around her. It closed around a cylinder of metal. An iron bar. She pushed herself up.

The man turned at the noise. She swung it wide. It crashed into the side of his head with a wet crunch.

She beat it down again. Covered in her own blood, crazed eyes glistening white, the bar crashed down again and again. She screamed. And brought it down with all her strength.

The head was a bloody pulp of blood, bone and brain. She stopped. The bar slipped from her hand. It crashed to the floor. Her breaths came ragged.

She bolted.

Running as fast as she could up the stairs, into the light, she stumbled and slipped, keeping a hand over the red ruin of her stomach to keep the ropes of pink innards inside, bloody footsteps trailing after her, she escaped. Her wounds bled, scabs tearing open, her lacerated feet made bloody prints are she ran, she could scarcely breathe . . .

She made it out into the street. She took a few steps, before collapsing. Someone called for an ambulance. Her surroundings blurred, and it became very cold.

She was hardly conscious as she was wheeled into the hospital. Confused shouts and bright lights blurring together, she couldn't feel anything at all. Then, she was standing right next to them, looking down at the scene. It became as sharp and clear as if it was not a memory at all. It was so bright, but there wasn't a sound to be heard. Doctors gathered around the operating table, where Tenshi's body lay. A nurse hooked some blood up for a transfusion. Then, the heart monitor went flat. There was flurry of activity. Drugs were pushed into the IV, a doctor started CPR.

Tenshi's soul looked directly at them.

"Who are you?" she said.

Kyouki foot shot down on Deidara's as he opened his mouth to reply. A warning glare to Sasori and Itachi staved off any attempts at communication.

Her heart started beating. Kyouki snapped her fingers and the scene warped around them.

Tenshi was now lying in a hospital bed. Numerous tubes snaked out of her, but she only seemed half-conscious. Her breathing was so shallow it could hardly be heard. Outside the door, people spoke.

"_Poor girl, her heart stopped three times during surgery. All her ribs are broken, no longer she has trouble breathing."_

"_The police followed her tracks back to that place . . . who know what they found? The missing girls, all five of them."_

"_Missing . . ."_

"_You didn't hear?"_

"_I've been out of town for a while."_

"_Girls and young women have been disappearing for the past month. Prostitutes, gang members . . ."_

"_And this one . . ."_

"_No one reported her missing. Her parents are being interviewed by the police; I heard they haven't seen her for a week."_

"_And she was kidnapped? That's horrible!"_

"_What are horrible are her injuries. I've never seen anything this bad before, the doctors still can't figure out how she survived. She was tortured. Blood loss, cuts, burns, her abdomen is a wreck. We were able to repair most of the damage, thankfully, but several feet of bowel had to be removed. The uterus and a kidney, too. The damage was too extensive."_

"_Has she woken up?"_

"_Not yet. She seems responsive, though. Poor girl, I hope she'll be alright."_

Time passed, though it was hard to tell how much. Tenshi didn't wake up. The nurses continued their gossip outside her room. They couldn't tell if it was the same pair.

"_Did you hear? The man was a serial killer!"_

"_Yes, yes, he tortured the girls and killed them, right?"_

"_Yes, they found ten additional bodies, all chopped up. The police called the FBI. They're waiting to talk to Miss Blanche when she wakes up."_

"_How is she doing?"_

"_No change. Her injuries are healing, but she won't respond to us."_

The voices drifted away.

"_Can I go in?"_ A familiar voice came from the beyond the door. _"I just want to talk to her. Even if she won't hear . . ."_

"_That should be fine. Take your time, miss . . ."_

"_Dawn Sanders."_

"_Right. Go in, then."_

The door opened, and a young girl stepped in. Akuma was almost exactly the same as she was now; her hair a lot shorter, to her shoulders, less makeup, but otherwise . . .

She sat down on a chair, and tugged a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her eyes stayed fixed on Tenshi's face.

"_Angel. Can you hear me?"_ she smiled, in that weak way of hers that showed she was trying not to cry. _"I'll talk anyway. I've been fine . . . oh, remember, how I said I liked anime a lot? I found one I like a lot, more than all the others. It's called Naruto. I know you'd like it too. I have a feeling Gaara would be your favorite, and maybe Sasori, too. We can watch it when you wake up, 'kay?"_

She licked her lip. She seemed stronger, and went on with a warmer smile. _"What else is new? I'm at a really good middle school. I know the one you're going to isn't good because of that record you have, but I'm sure they would take you in mine. It's attached to a high school, so we could stay together! Nobody would bother you there, either. That kind of stuff doesn't happen. Oh right, you don't know, your dad is taking you back. After what happened, you know . . . your parents don't want to stay here. I doubt you would either."_

She glanced at the clock. _"I only have a couple of minutes left. Say, I had this great idea! I want to give you a nickname. A Japanese nickname. 'Cause your name has caused you so much trouble, I want to give you a new one. You're an angel. And not a bloody one, either. I know you're good. I know it. I don't care how you act, what you say, what other people think, I promise, I'll always believe in you. I'll call you Tenshi from now on. That's because I believe that you're an angel. So, wake up soon, 'kay?"_

The next thing they knew, Tenshi's eyes opened fully.

But something was wrong. She showed no emotion, did not react to anything, until a doctor tried to examine her. At his touch, she shrank back and screamed. She trashed so hard they had to sedate her, and several of her stiches broke. Blood clashed on her white hospital gown.

She had nightmares. They were kept away by Kyouki's intervention, but they still felt her terror. It was the same for the hallucinations. Tenshi would huddle under her blanket, terrified of monsters only she could see. Once, when Kyouki's defenses broke, they could see bloody rose thorns creeping up to ensnare her.

"_Post-traumatic stress disorder. Aphephobia. Panic disorder. Social anxiety. Several psychotic breaks have already occurred."_ was the doctor's diagnostic.

It didn't do Tenshi any good. She refused to speak to anyone other than Akuma. She refused to let anyone other than Akuma touch her. She had to be coaxed out of her room, which she kept permanently dark. She would only eat when Akuma ate with her, and even then, could rarely keep anything down. She grew thin.

One scene, she was walking in the corridor, looking as gaunt and pale as a ghost. Her eyes darted around nervously at the people walking by, twitching at the sounds and lights. Then a nurse brushed her arm.

Her hand shot out and grabbed a scalpel that had been lying in a tray of surgical instruments on a nearby cart. She moved quickly and swung it around, trying to slash at those nearby. She was absolutely terrified. A voice crept up on her, crawled up her spine and whispered in her ear.

"_You have such beautiful hair."_

She turned the blade on herself and hacked at her locks. Akuma watched, a hand half-extended, as curls of soft gold tumbled down on the floor. Tenshi kept hacking and cutting at her hair in a feverish attempt to get rid of the voice.

A doctor tackled her to the ground, the knife went spinning, and a needle was pushed into her vein. Her screams died down, and everything went dark.

"I think this is enough." said Kyouki. She snapped her fingers, and a door appeared. "Let's leave."

"What happens next?" asked Deidara. He was visibly shaken.

"Some boring stuff. She gets her act together. Moves back to that town. Her behavior gets better, but she's still sick. You've experienced that part for yourselves, so there's no need to go through her memories anymore."

"As you say." said Itachi. He was wishing he hadn't seen any of it. This wasn't right. None of them should have been allowed to invade her mind like that.

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><p>Review!<p>

Peace out.


	45. The Past Part III-Three Pieces

I really apologize. I didn't expect it to take this long. I, like a complete klutz, managed to break my laptop. And how did I do it? I dropped it. Seriously, I feel like an idiot for doing that.

Well, it was a while before I could get a new one, and then I realized that the chapter I wrote was no good, and had to be rewritten. Then, I had no idea how to rewrite it, but I managed to write something at least, but it's really rough because I really wanted to post this today . . . Well, you get the picture.

I encourage you to review, as they really make my day and encourage me to write more. I'm planning on ending this soon, and I really, really want to reach my goal of 500 reviews, even if its a bit unrealistic at this point.

So, review!

Wait, you guys read the ANs, right? I'm not talking to a wall, am I?

* * *

><p>They burst through the door, and landed in a heap in the corridor they had been in before. Sasori shoved Deidara off of him with a muffled growl, Itachi stood up as gracefully as possible but still dizzy from the passage, and all of them were covered in that strange thick black ink that seemed to be everywhere. Itachi wiped a glob off his cheek with concealed disgust.<p>

Sasori stood, using the wall as a support, but quickly withdrew his hand as he touched the gunk. He was angry, very angry, but as to what he was angry about he couldn't tell. What he had seen, perhaps, because he had just invaded and probed down into pieces of her mind he felt he had no right to see. Ever since he had come here, he felt something about himself changing. Everything he felt was more intense, even his anger, and he was now absolutely certain, without the shadow of a doubt, that he loved Tenshi. The realization was more shocking than it should have been, seeing as how he had been thinking of her up till now. And yet, the image of her standing, covered in blood, eyes crazed with fear, beating down until the man's head was a bloody paste, stayed with him as he straightened up and tried to wipe the gunk off his hand. She had been so scared, and in so much pain, he thought he could understand her better now. But that had come had a price, the invasion of her mind. He knew he loved her, and guilt flooded from that feeling.

Suddenly, something caught the edge of his field of vision. He turned, and saw a ghostly figure running down the hall, away from him. He thought it looked like . . .

"Tenshi . . . Tenshi!" Deidara called, and immediately pursued the fleeing figure.

"Wait! Come back!" Kyouki yelled.

"I'll get him." Sasori shot over his shoulder, chasing after his partner.

"No! Stay here!"

But Sasori was already gone. He ran after Deidara, and turned around a corner he hadn't seen before. The corridors of Tenshi's mind ran on in an endless maze, lined with a procession of identical doors, and as they delved deeper in, growing more and more covered by the thick black ink. Murmured voices crept along the walls. Dead vines covered in wilted roses started to appear, snaking up and trying to grab them as they ran, but as they made contact, turned to ash.

"Deidara!" Sasori called. But it seemed as if the blonde grew further and further away. His movements blurred in an afterimage, and he disappeared altogether. Sasori called again, but there was no answer. He stopped running, and looked around him. He realized that he didn't know where he was. The only thing that looked different was the door up ahead, at the end of the corridor, a weathered wooden door with a carved silver handle, untouched by the black gunk that stained the rest of Tenshi's mind. Having nowhere else to go, and reluctant to go back and get lost even further, he turned the doorknob, and entered the room beyond.

He was frozen by surprise. The room had a low ceiling, white walls and a blue carpet floor, and right in the middle was a huge dollhouse. Toys were scattered around the room, most broken and discarded. And in the center, brushing a doll's hair was a small child with white-blond hair held up in twin ponytails and wearing a light blue dress. She sat on her knees, humming a light tune, a row of dolls in front of her, beautiful things exquisitely made, with silken hair and elaborate dresses. She turned her head around, eyes open quizzically wide, the very picture of angelic innocence. A young Tenshi stared up at him.

"Who are you?" she asked. Sasori took a moment to shake off the confusion he felt, and came closer.

"My name is Sasori."

"I'm Angel. Do you like dolls?" She held up the one she held. He knelt down next to her, and surveyed the row of dolls she had lined up. They were beautiful creations.

"I do."

"Me too. What do you like about them?"

"They are things of eternal beauty. And you? Why do you like dolls?"

She put her brush down and smoothed her palm down the doll's cheek. She hugged it to her chest, and Sasori noticed for the first time that it looked exactly like her.

"I want to be one."

"Why?"

"Dolls are pretty, and perfect. People treasure them." She held hers up to him. "I want to be a doll. I want someone to treasure me, forever and ever."

Sasori felt a sudden pang of pity for her. This was what Tenshi had originally wanted. Someone to treasure her. But the progression of events had twisted this pure little girl who wanted to be treasured into a girl who hated and resented the entire world. Maybe, just maybe, that original wish was still alive somewhere in her, and with a sharp intake of breath realized that was the truth. That was the reason Tenshi let Akuma touch her. Because Akuma wholeheartedly loved and cared for Tenshi, and would never stop no matter how twisted she became. Dawn treasured Tenshi.

He reached out his hand and rubbed the head of the little girl who still lived on inside of Tenshi.

"Don't worry. I will treasure you. I will make you my doll." He said, and meant it.

"Really? Forever and ever?"

"Really. I promise."

Her face lit up like the sun. The smile was bright, and cheerful, and she hugged her doll tighter to her chest.

"Hah, 'treasure?' Who needs crap like that?" The mocking voice cracked through the air. Sasori turned to see a figure stalk over. It was followed by a very out of breath Deidara.

"Hey, Sasori!" he called, waving an arm.

The girl he had with him was another version of Tenshi. Older this time, maybe twelve, and wearing cutoff jeans and a dirt stained tank top, her darker hair in ponytails, but with red eyes. She stalked over and glared down at her younger self.

"Stop playing with dolls! 'Treasure me, treasure me!' I'm sick of your whining, who needs that crap? Better to cut them down to size and beat the living shit out of them. What's so great about other people, anyway? They just want to laugh at you and beat you down, and you want them to 'treasure' you?" She threw her head back and laughed, a sound full of bitterness, and suddenly lowered her head so her eyes were hidden and shadows and her hair fell across her face. "Don't make me laugh, you stupid bitch!" Her eyes widened and her mouth drew back in a fine line, in an expression they had seen the real Tenshi wear whenever she was angry to the point of madness. The older girl kicked the dolls out of their fine line, and trampled all over them.

"We don't need this crap! Oy, I told you to quit whining already!" She grabbed the sobbing child by her hair and threw her down. The doll fell from her grasp. Her heel shot down on it, and it shattered into a thousand pieces. Sasori watched, unable to do anything but watch, as the older Tenshi kept stamping down on the doll, her face twisted by anger. She then turned her wrath to the crying child, and kicked her.

"Will you _stop_ that? How useless can you get, you weak piece off . . . you think crying like a baby will solve anything? How long are you going to make moon eyes at those dolls? Dolls break, do you want that? Do you want to be broken? Well, do you? Answer me when I'm talking to you!"

"That's enough, hm!" Deidara grabbed the older one and hauled her off, feet still kicking out. The younger fled sobbing to Sasori, and grabbed his arm. He didn't know what to do. Her tears never stained his sleeve.

"Let me go! You know what'll happen if we're weak? Huh, do you!" she screamed. "You'll see what'll happen!"

"What exactly will happen?" Sasori asked, standing up and taking the child's hand in his own. The older calmed down and stopped kicking and screaming, but Deidara still held on to her, just in case. She grinned wickedly.

"Go see in the next room, I dare 'ya!" She jerked her chin towards a door that had appeared. "Go on! See what happens!"

"I don't want to go there." The younger said tearfully. She gripped Sasori's hand tightly. "I don't like seeing her . . . everything's so red, it's scary! She never does anything, but she's scary!"

"I'm going." said Deidara. "Whatever it is, I want to see it." He let the older go.

Sasori disentangled the younger's hand from his own, and joined Deidara in moving to the door. He put his hand on the doorknob, and twisted, opening it a crack.

"Sasori!" The younger called after them. "Remember what you said! Forever and ever!

He nodded. Even if the one in reality never returned his feelings, it didn't matter. She would become his doll. He opened the door. It was dark, but once they had both stepped in, light flooded the scene from an unseen source. Deidara hissed, and his hand flew to his mouth. At the sight, Sasori's jaw tightened, his fists balled up, and he frowned in anger. She was his. Seeing her in such a state was . . . indescribable.

It was Tenshi, the same age she was in reality. She stood naked in the middle of a puddle of blood, vines snaking over her body and holding her tight. She faced away from them, looking up with blank and glassy eyes at something up above. On her body, stark against her white skin, were wounds. Cuts, burns, bruises, whip marks, over nearly every inch of exposed skin, and Deidara couldn't help but wince when he saw her shoulder blades. Where there had once been wing tattoos, only raw flesh lay exposed.

"He didn't like her wings, so he cut them off." A voice said, matter-of-factly. The older one stalked forward, and stopped next to them, watching her future self with emotionless eyes. "It's too bad. We really liked those wings."

Deidara dashed around to see her front, consumed by morbid curiosity. His feet splashed in the blood, which flowed in an unending stream from her wounds. But when he saw what he had wanted to see, he turned away. Sasori knew what it was, and had no desire to see for himself.

"Have you had enough?" she spat. "See what people can do? Frankly, we would have rather died. Do you know how much it _hurt_? How scared we were? The little one can't come here anymore, she's way too scared. And the real one? Hah, she's always hiding. I bet she's trying so hard not to remember this, but see?" She pointed into the gloom. "The vines are growing, you saw them too, right? That gunk you saw over everything, that's the blood this one is bleeding, and it's over every-god dammed- thing in this place. When the vines reach the throne room, and the halo is stained with blood, it's over. She'll go completely mad, and we will rot down to nothing. She knew that once, but I don't think she even cares anymore. We're left here, all three of us, and she doesn't want to face any of us, so she hides. And while she hides, the vines continue growing, this one continues to bleed, and everything grows closer to being destroyed."

"The real one? You mean Tenshi? You know where she is?" Deidara asked, eyes wide. "I want to see her!"

"Are you stupid? We don't know where she is. What would be the point of hiding if she could be found? Idiot. I can't believe she recognizes you."

Before either of them could speak, tendrils of flame wrapped around them.

"Ah, finally found 'ya!" The voice floated down from above, echoing and disembodied.

"Kyouki!" Sasori realized.

"Don't run off like that! We have to go now, she's about to wake up!" The tendrils grew, till they were almost covered in red flame. "Bloody Angie, I hope you didn't hurt them."

"'Course not." Bloody Angie said, crossing her arms behind her head and smiling sardonically. "The real one is fond of them. I'm looking forward to seeing if they can get her to come out before it's too late."

"It's doubtful they will."

"Can't hurt to dream."

"Wait! I still have questions for you . . ." The flame covered Deidara's face, cutting him off.

Bloody Angie gave him a grin. She then flitted her gaze to Sasori. "You better not forget that promise. Angelique will be sad if you do."

And then they were entirely covered by flame, and everything blurred, and they woke up in their own bodies. Sasori picked himself up off the floor, feeling much more comfortable in his puppet body, and Itachi and Deidara had to work out stiffness in their joints and muscles.

There was no doubt in any of their minds that this had all been real.

Upstairs, waking from a nightmare, Tenshi opened her eyes.

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><p>So there you have it. Pretty rough, in my opinion, but at least it's something. I have a question, do you guys actually like it when I write stuff like this? Or is it just annoying and creepy?<p>

Review!

Peace out.


	46. Scientific Implications

And the plot makes a comeback! Characterization is all well and good, but we've got to start getting somewhere. I'm super excited about the ending, because if I do it correctly, none of you will see it coming. I can't give an estimate as to when it will be finished, because I don't plan, but I can't wait to write it! I've got a good idea of what the sequel will be, too. I'm having _so_ much fun with this.

I got a lot of positive feedback for the last chapter, which is really nice. I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed. It's nice knowing people like what I write, especially when I also like writing it.

Review!

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><p>Nightmares had been eating at me. I was cold, very, very cold, yet sweat beaded on my forehead. When I woke up, it was not where I wanted to be. I wanted to be at home, in my own bed, with my own covers and my own computer and instead I was stuck here in this cold cabin, displaced by a bunch of crazy cosmic impossibilities. My whole body hurt. I remembered, slowly, the last thing that had happened before I blacked out. I sat up, biting back a groan, and clutched at my head. It hurt like a son of a bitch.<p>

"I see you're awake." I lifted my gaze to meet Sasori's. He leaned against the open doorframe, his red hair tumbling down over his face. His brown eyes were impassive, as always, and he blinked languorously.

"Hey, Red." I said through gritted teeth. "Christ, how long have I been out?"

"A day. Konan healed your wounds."

"Then why do I feel like crap? Seriously, my head _hurts_."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He sounded amused.

"Yeah, yeah, where's Akuma?" I pushed the covers back and put my cold feet on the floor. I wore a t-shirt and sweatpants, and I was freezing. I shivered and stood up, wrapping my arms around myself. Sasori took a look at me, pushed himself off the wall, grabbed a blanket and put it around me. He was very careful not to touch me, or make direct eye-contact. I gathered the folds around me, and followed him out the door, shuffling a bit awkwardly to avoid tripping, and also because my vision was still a bit blurry. Outside, Deidara was waiting.

"Tenshi! Are you okay, hm?" I could tell at first glance something was wrong with him. He was usually cocky, but right now he looked . . . well, kind of miserable, and not just a little guilty. Now that I thought about it, something was slightly off about Sasori, though it wasn't obvious and I couldn't quite place it. My eyes narrowed.

"Did you do something?" I asked. His eyes widened and he shook his head quickly. Sasori shot him a glare. What followed was an interesting exchange of glances, through which an entire conversation seemed to pass in less than ten seconds. I tracked it with a deepening frown, until Deidara cleared his throat and finally answered.

"No, hm. Not at all. Akuma's waiting for you."

"Oh? Fine then." I swept past them, still shivering despite the blanket and in no mood to deal with whatever was up with those two. Then I remembered the fight, Deidara's weakness, my hesitation, Sasori's anger. That must have been it. Thinking back on that episode, my cheeks grew warm and I drew the blanked over my head like a hood, embarrassed. This situation was starting to devolve into something I didn't have the capacity to handle, so I decided to ignore the conclusions hovering at the edge of my mind and . . . just keep swimming. I stalked down the stairs and was met with a crushing hug from my friend, my vision suddenly obscured by lots of fluffy brown hair.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Akuma said. "Hikari told me how you saved her."

"Did I? I don't recall." All I could remember was white, with blue shadows dancing all around, the sickening drop in my stomach that signaled the unopposed pull of gravity.

She put her hand on my forehead. "Do you have a fever? Your face is red."

"I'm fine!" I wiggled away. "Just a bit sore."

Hikari was making herself as small as possible, sitting on the floor with her knees drawn up to her chest, occupying herself with her fingers. We ignored each other.

"If you two are done," Kisame called. "Leader is calling a meeting." Everybody was indeed huddled in the living room, on the couches. I was amused to see Pein had his blanked in the same way as me. We hurried and took seats, having to kick Hidan off my spot. Deidara and Sasori joined us, and we all listened to God's words. 'God' cleared his throat and tightened the blanket around himself, drawing his frame up as far as possible while still huddling down.

"We have been keeping track of the search for Tenshi and Deidara through radio. The good news is they are no longer searching in your home town."

"Great, so we can go back!" Akuma said. Pein shot her a glare for that interruption.

"The bad news," Konan picked up, "Is that they are coming here."

A chorus of buzzing voices and arguments broke out at that. I stayed silent, knowing that Pein likely already had a plan to deal with this.

"It seems someone from the town recognized one of us and alerted the authorities."

"So much for 'in the middle of nowhere,'" Hidan growled under his breath.

"It goes without saying that we must leave." Kakuzu pitched in.

"Agreed." said Sasori.

"How'd you suppose we do that?" The Jashinist shot. "The roads will be completely blocked! We almost got caught getting here! More than once, because of Uchiha's sucky driving."

"Indeed, traveling the ordinary way would be cumbersome and dangerous. Itachi." Pein said, motioning for the Uchiha to continue. He stood, and began speaking in the usual monologue tone of his.

"We have nearly completed the jutsu that will send us home." He didn't wait for the excited murmurs to go away before continuing to speak, because when an Uchiha speaks, you'd better listen. "The jutsu combines spacial teleportation with temporal teleportation to create inter-dimensional teleportation. As a guiding line to our destination, we will use Leader's remote chakra control to allow us to travel safely back to our own dimension. While the temporal part of the jutsu still needs some work, the spacial part is functional.

"To make it work, we need a set of two identical diagrams to act as localizers. One has already been drawn in Tenshi's house, and the other will be set here. Once that is done, the jutsu will transport any material objects from one diagram to the other, so it is not necessary to have chakra to be transported."

I was impressed. The theory sounded credible, and I wished I could see the details of how this all worked. If they were successful, that would mean that not only is teleportation possible, but also inter-dimensional travel. It was one thing for it to work in the Naruto world, where the laws were different, and for it to be successful here, where the laws of physics as we commonly know them seem to forbid such things. The implications for science were staggering, at the very least a complete reestablishing of the laws of the universe to accommodate phenomena never witnessed before. The only caveat was that chakra was necessary to make them work, but if I could find a suitable energy source to replace it, that would be the only thing missing. Starting from the fact that certain things were possible (even if never observed before), it might be possible to make the math work out. Maybe. Possibly. I didn't have the tools at the moment to figure it out, but if I could study . . .

Itachi sat down, and Pein resumed his speech. "We will be leaving in exactly one hour. Gather your belongings."

Everybody went to pack, and I asked Akuma to do mine for me. I was far too curious to do something as mundane as packing. I watched as Kakuzu and Kisame helped clear a large open space in the living room, pushing back the couches and the rug. With a piece of chalk, Itachi began to drawn the diagram. The basic form was a circle with five lines of symbols radiating from the center like the spokes of a wheel. More symbols were drawn on the outer edge, and very large ones in between each line, all different. My eyes darted quickly over each sequence of individual symbols, brain working so fast I was able to memorize it as Itachi drew it. There had to be some significance to this particular arrangement. What did the symbols mean? What did they hide? I would have to look up them up, but surely the _design itself_ had mathematical significance. The circle, its circumference tied to Pi, each sequence never repeating twice and so containing every secret, what else was there?

"Hey! Tenshi!" My head shot up abruptly. I looked around, a little dazed, and saw Deidara hovering over me with a worried frown.

"What?"

"Why'd you space out like that?"

"No . . . no reason." My concentration was broken. The diagram didn't mean anything anymore. Itachi finished it, and I had memorized it. I mentally ran through the symbols, and some seemed slightly familiar, but I couldn't place them no matter how much I shuffled through my patchy memory.

We gathered inside the circle with our belongings. It was really, really cramped, and I somehow ended up right next to Deidara, because whatever god there was hated me. I tried to move away, but I was already at the edge of the circle, and I thought leaving an elbow behind might be a bad idea, so I was forced to stand much closer to him than I would have liked. He smirked down at me.

"Come on, aren't we past this already, hm?" He grinned, like he usually did when he felt unusually proud of himself for something he didn't do, and wanted to take advantage of it. I could feel him near me, and the usual mix of repulsion, anxiety and fear curled in the pit of my stomach, though it wasn't as strong as usual. In fact, it was comparatively weak. The natural conclusion would be that I was getting used to him, but that was unthinkable, so I tried to kick him in the shin. He dodged, bumping into Hidan, who stepped on Kisame's foot, who turned around to see what was up, running into Itachi, who nudged Hikari, who fell against Konan, who finally stumbled and pushed Sasori out of the circle. He fell, and picked himself up with a sullen glare at the rest of us.

"Who did that?" he growled. Konan pointed at Hikari, who pointed at Itachi, who gave a head nudge towards Kisame, who looked down meaningfully at Hidan, who in turn looked at Deidara. He pointed to me. I pointed to him. We glared at each other.

"Will all of you act like Shinobi?" Leader admonished, coming down the stairs with an armful of papers. He managed to find a spot in the circle, but that meant we all had to squeeze in tighter.

"I wish they would hurry up . . ." I mumbled under my breath.

"It can't be that bad. We've been closer before, hm." he said, nearly right in my ear. I shuddered with slight revulsion, and a trace of something else I refused to identify.

Suddenly I had a very vivid image of a white room. The only sound that of the flat lining heart monitor, everything so bright and clear, looking down at a myriad of blue capped people working furiously over a red spattered form. Next to me, were four forms, yellow, red, white, black, that I felt were not supposed to be there . . . that were alien. A searing headache pierced my skull, and images began to flash by, too quickly to get more than a vague impression. That was when I realized, where was Kyouki?

A hot red veil covered the stream of images, and the white room disappeared altogether. I felt Kyouki inside my mind, moving around, covering things up, drawing that veil over it, so that the headache disappeared and I opened my eyes to meet Deidara's. It couldn't have been more than a couple of seconds, because he didn't look worried at all. I felt only a vague red pulsing behind my eyelids as a reminder of what had happened.

Itachi started the jutsu. A current of air swirled around us, getting stronger with each second.

Then without warning the door burst open. A stream of men brandishing guns poured in, shouting to put our hands up. Then, there were muffled curses and gasps of astonishment and a bullet was fired, bouncing off an invisible wall that surrounded us. Several shots rang out, one ricocheting and hitting something, followed by a scream and a flash of red on the edge of my vision as I tried to turn around.

Deidara grabbed me and a roaring wind filled my ears. A horrible shaking ripped through space, and everything I could see was drowned out by an immensely bright light. As a lurch in my stomach told me we were moving, I instinctively hung onto the closest thing. Roaring, shaking, light, being thrown back and forth in the confines of what felt like a force field, I couldn't help but hang on. The arms that surrounded me were so tight I could hardly breathe.

Then all at once, everything stopped, the musty smell of mold and dust filled the air, and sunlight streamed through the opaque window in a golden ray. The air was warm, thick, oppressing. I realized where we were. I realized what I was doing. I ripped myself out of Deidara's arms, and fell back on my rear. My fingers brushed chalk and dust. Looking around, I saw with relief that we were safe. We were back, in my attic.

I remembered the shots, and shuddered at how close we had cut it. I stood up, coughing as dust infiltrated my lungs, but was so profoundly relieved I could have collapsed again right then and there. Akuma seemed to share my sentiment, as she leaned against Itachi, sighing, still shuddering with the fear of getting caught and the shocking travel through space. We had done it. Teleportation was possible in this world. I rejoiced, and mentally ran through the potential implications, when I heard footsteps coming up from downstairs.

_We were not alone. _

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><p>Aha! Cliffhanger!<p>

Peace out.


	47. Proof of Existence

I'm back! Yeah, its been a while, but I've been busy. Exams are in less than a month, so I haven't had much time to write. But, there's plot development in this one, folks! There's also some stuff in french, but I'm sure everybody will follow along. I hear Google translate has helped some of you.

The goal is close! 500 reviews are just around the corner. So review!

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><p>I was frozen in place. Footsteps echoing, the stairs creaking, the doorknob turning, the door opening . . . A crash as Itachi quickly reacted and pinned the person up by the throat, a yell cut off, confusion as a tumble of voices overlapped and I stood up, dreamily placing a foot in front of the other as I took in the face of a person I hadn't seen in years. I couldn't believe it.<p>

"Tenshi?" I heard Deidara's worried voice behind me, and a hand brushed my arm, but I moved forward to where Itachi was holding him. He saw me, gave a strained smile, and struggled against the steel hand around his throat. He hadn't changed very much, his light gray-blue eyes so like mine, his unkempt hair a little longer; he looked like me. That was the thing, with the three of us. We all looked alike. The same hair, same eyes, same features. Line us up, and what a pretty picture we all made. Dressing up, posturing, pretending to be perfect when all but one of us was miserable, three pretty children with golden hair and cold blue eyes.

"Hey, Ange," he said. I looked into the eyes of my brother.

"Adam," I said. I shook my head. "Aren't you supposed to be . . . I don't know, somewhere else?"

"I . . ."

"Like, not here? Away?" My fists clench.

"Ange . . ."

"What the hell, are you doing here?!" I suddenly exploded. "Tu m'abandonne pendant, quoi, dix ans, et tu reviens, comme ça, comme si de rien n'était! Mais pour qui tu te prends ? »

« Euh . . . desolé?"

« J'ai franchement envie de te tuer. Qu'est-ce que tu fais ici? »

« C'est bien de savoir que tu peux toujours parler français.» His hand twitched towards his throat.

"Itachi, let him go!" I said, switching back to English. I was still irrationally furious. I thought I'd forgotten about my brother, that I'd let go of my childish resentment and anger; well, apparently not.

As Itachi slowly removed his hand and Adam rubbed his throat, coughing a little, Deidara stepped up. He didn't look very happy; his mouth twisted in that weird way it always did when he was displeased. Now that I noticed, Sasori also looked displeased; but his displeasure was only betrayed by an almost imperceptible narrowing of his heavy-lidded eyes. I smelled trouble.

"This is your brother, hm?"

"Yeah. Adam, people; people, Adam. Now . . ."

"Restrain him."

Pein's voice cut through the air. In a flash Adam was knocked out. His body hit the floor with a loud thump. Kisame picked him up and slung him over his shoulder. He headed down the stairs.

"Hey! I wasn't done talking to him!" I went down after him, ignoring the two displeased individuals and all of them for that matter. Kisame went into my brother's room, set him on a chair, and tied him up.

"He'll wake up soon."

"He'd better. I haven't finished yelling at him yet." I sat down heavily on the bed, and Kisame left, possibly to report to Pein. I couldn't care less, at the moment.

This was a bit of a conundrum. I crossed my legs and arms and tried to think, logically, like the logical and practical person I was. But somehow, looking at my brother again, it was like I was just a kid again, having him put Band-Aids on my knee and pat my head. Memories were welling up, as well as panic of where the memories were leading to. My eyes stayed fixed on the wall behind his head, the room he had lived in, that my parents had kept exactly the same when he left. The dusty, punkish, dark room I hadn't stepped in in years, the one I had off-handedly given to Itachi and Kisame. It was scrupulously neat, with a few odd items and books that weren't my brother's.

I was getting a headache. A really bad one, a squirming pain pulsing behind my eyelids. I crossed and uncrossed my legs and waited, biting on my thumbnail.

"Ange . . ."

"Hey, Adam."

"My head is killing me . . ." he groaned.

"Yeah, getting hit on the head will do that to you."

He struggled a bit, testing his bonds, looking around and blinking painfully. He looked at me, and I didn't look back. It was a while before we spoke, and he spent the whole time staring at me. I got the impression he was thinking very hard about something.

"Hello, Ange." He said suddenly. "How've you been?"

"What are you even doing here?" I snapped. He leaned back, and I thought he looked far too comfortable.

"They called me in while you were in the hospital, since they couldn't reach mom and dad. They got them here, but they didn't want to stay in this house, and I needed a place to stay until I could catch my flight. I'm working on my PhD in New York, so I need to get back soon."

"Good for you."

"I'm getting married." He said off-handedly. "I've got a job, a good house . . ."

"Why are you telling me this?" I snapped. "You think I care?"

"No, I guess you don't. Listen, I heard about . . . what happened. About what the doctors said. I've spoken with mom and dad. I had no idea things got so bad."

"You never bothered to think about it. Seriously, what did you think was happening?"

" . . . I don't know. I don't know."

And there was silence once again. He kept looking around, and it made me nervous. I was angry, but trying to calm down a bit. I didn't want to look at him, I didn't even want to be in the same room as him, but I was glued in place, fidgeting and biting my thumbnail like a ten year old.

"So, I assume you have questions." I finally said. The tension was unbearable, even for me, but he stayed cool.

"About what?"

_That_ got me to look at him. "About the weird men running around the house. You know, blue guy? Guys with weird eyes?" He didn't respond. This was weird. "Zetsu should have been there, what about the plant guy?"

He shook his head. I was starting to think something was wrong. He was way too calm.

"Come on, answer!" I slammed my fist on the desk.

"Angelique . . . There's nobody here."

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><p>"What do you think they're talking about?" Deidara said. He leaned back on the couch, his arms crossed behind his head.<p>

"Don't you think about going in there." Konan warned. She had been obsessively folding paper angels since they had returned. There was a sizable pile overflowing on the table in front of her, as her hands quickly worked, deftly folding the paper. "She needs some time alone with her brother. They're family, and she's been through a lot."

"No she doesn't," Deidara snapped, sitting up abruptly. Konan stopped folding. "She doesn't need to say one word to that guy."

"What would you know about this?" she said, eyes narrowing.

" . . . Nothing. Forget it." He leaned back again. "Where is everybody else?"

"Some out in the garden, others in their rooms."

"Sasori?"

"I don't know. I say him going upstairs. Are you going to talk to Tenshi?"

"About what, hm?"

"Oh, I was just wondering if you were going to tell her you love her before we leave."

Deidara turned red.

"You're going to have to make up your mind eventually. We're leaving."

"When?"

"Tomorrow night. Pein is putting the final touches on the jutsu."

Deidara was shocked. He'd hoped to have a little more time, to talk to Tenshi. He still didn't know what he was going to say, but he knew he couldn't leave without saying something to her. He wanted her to come back with him, but didn't know how to convince her.

'_Maybe I should just knock her out, hm.'_ He thought. Well, he'd figure something out. He still had a little time.

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><p>"What?" I said, a heavy frown distorting my face. He smiled a little sadly.<p>

"Angelique . . . there's nobody here. We're alone." He said gently.

"No . . . the Akatsuki! You saw them! What are you, crazy?" I sprang to my feet. "Dawn! She knows they're here, she can tell you . . .

He shook his head. "Listen, Dawn isn't here either. We're alone."

"You're crazy."

"No, you're hallucinating. Please, sit, I'll explain."

I hesitated. There was no way what he was saying was true, but I was curious as to what he was thinking, so I sat down. I listened to him as he talked; his voice was reasonable, lulling me into a strange kind of stupor. Like he was perfectly, wonderfully, in control of himself and the situation.

"After mom and dad left on their vacation, and Dawn moved in with you, you started hallucinating. Thinking you'd found some fictional characters and were living with them . . . Angel, you're suffering from psychosis. We know this because of the accident. You remember. When you fell through the window?"

"No! I was thrown . . ."

"Angel, if you had been thrown through that window, there's no way you would have survived. That glass shard would have pierced your heart and you would have died. Think about it."

I did. It made sense. I made a lot of sense.

He kept talking. "Dawn was very worried about you. She told us about your hallucinations. She'd been playing along, even bringing some friends over, because she didn't know what else to do. After you'd gotten injured, she couldn't take it anymore. She told the doctor, who informed your psychiatrist. You were then committed to the psychiatric ward."

"There's no way Akuma would do that." I said through gritted teeth. "She wouldn't do that to me. She . . ."

"She was worried sick about you. Dawn couldn't handle taking care of you anymore, she couldn't keep playing along, and she couldn't tell you the truth. She was at the end of her rope. She did it to help you."

"So what, according to this . . . this fable happened next?"

"You ran away. You jumped down from the first floor window in the middle of the night. You weren't being kept on a very tight watch, due to the nature of your hallucinations-your doctor believed that as long as you were being kept away from the house . . . But you went back."

"No, I was taken back to Dawn's house. I haven't been back here since I was taken to the hospital."

"No, you went back. This was yesterday."

"But it's been at least a week! I came back, then we went up to Dawn's cabin. We stayed there for a couple of days, and we came back by . . ." _By traveling through space_.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. Now that I thought about it, it sounded crazy. Really, really insane; improbable; against the laws of physics; impossible. Suddenly I doubted everything I had experienced in the last couple of months. Logically speaking . . . I couldn't believe I hadn't realized it before. I knew I had hallucinations; I had pills for them . . . _that I had stopped taking_. When was the last time I had taken them? I'd gotten distracted when the Akatsuki came; I'd taken sedatives for that panic attack, and after that, nothing. I normally had a battery of medication to take every day. I hadn't taken them. It had just . . . slipped my mind.

He spoke, very gently. "You've been here, in the attic, hallucinating, for the past day. Nobody thought to look here . . . but they are searching for you. Whatever happened in the meantime wasn't real. Time dilation is common; you think it has been several days, but truly, almost no time has passed."

"We went on that trip . . . with Dawn . . ."

"Dawn is at her house. She isn't here. Nobody is. We're alone."

This was laughable. Thinking logically, this was . . . crazy. Suddenly, everything crumbled. Kittens spring up out of nowhere, turn into characters from a fictional show, and prance around my house? Which was more likely, a cosmic impossibility, or that I was mentally ill? I was mentally ill. That was what the pills were for. The pills I wasn't taking.

"I'm not sure . . . I need to think about it."

"I understand. This must be a lot to take in."

I nodded shortly. I was tired, and confused, and it was getting late. I stood, slowly, as my head spun a little.

"I talked with a lawyer." He said as I put my hand on the doorknob. I stopped.

"Why?"

"I have my life together now. I have a job. I'm getting my degree, I'm getting married. Christ, I have a dog," he laughed. "I left because I couldn't stand being in this house. I'm glad they kicked me out, it was just what I needed."

"Your point?"

"I couldn't take you with me back then-I was a stupid kid, just trying to keep it together. I wandered around for a bit, got a job, saved some money, went to college . . ."

"What the hell are you getting at?"

He sighed, and looked me in the eye. "I can take care of you now. Ange, you're my baby sister. I'm sorry I left. I didn't have any choice back then, but I do now. According to my lawyer, our parents left you alone when you had severe, potentially life-threatening problems; in court, there's a case to be made for child endangerment. We're fairly confident the judge will be sympathetic."

"To what?"

"I want to take full custody of you. If you're willing, you can come live with me, in New York."

I walked out.

I wandered down the hall and into my room, dazed, confused, exhausted, filled with conflicting thoughts and the uncertainty of what was real. Was I hallucinating about the Akatsuki? About my brother? About every single event since god knows when? The ground under my feet, the wall under my fingertips, the feel of the air conditioning on my hair, was it all nothing more than a mirage? I couldn't trust what I was feeling anymore.

I opened the door to my room and stepped in. It was the same as I thought I had left it. The bed, with all the stuffed animals and pillows, the dresser, the pile of books overflowing from the bookcase and over the carpet in a tumbling tide, mixed college textbooks, science-fiction novels and manga; both real and intangible. I picked one up. Naruto, part two; Sasori's death. He was dead; and yet he was here. A paradox; time discontinuity; impossible?

I let the book fall. It was only a story. Nothing more.

I sat down on my bed, and took the first thing my hand fell on. The stuffed animal Akuma had made for me, the one that looked like Deidara's clay bird. I couldn't remember when she'd given it to me, or why I had kept it-I hated Deidara, so why? I wasn't even sure I was holding it right now. Had Dawn always liked making stuffed animals?

The door creaked open. A figure padded over, and I caught a flash of blurry red on the edge of my vision. The bed dipped a little with the person's weight.

"Something on your mind, doll?" Sasori asked.

"Nothing much." I replied. He turned his head, saw what I was holding, and frowned.

"Where did you get that?"

"Gift from Akuma."

"I don't like it."

I didn't have a reply to that. "I hate that man." I set the stuffed animal aside.

"Your brother?"

"Yeah. No, I don't hate him; I just resent him. I guess. Or something along those lines, I'm not sure anymore."

I stood and moved over to the window, drawing the curtain back. It was dark, and I couldn't see anything. Sasori mirrored me.

"Do you remember?" He said. "The discussion we had, about becoming a puppet?"

"Vaguely."

"I have been thinking . . . for a rather long time. There is something I want you to know."

He was close, but I couldn't feel any heat from him at all. I could feel his breath when he spoke, but otherwise no movement came from him, no rise and fall of his chest, none of the small movements, characteristic of a human being. It was like he wasn't there at all. That was what I felt. I was alone. Completely alone.

'_Angelique . . . There's nobody here.'_

I turned and walked past him in a daze. As I stepped out through the door, I heard him say words which I did not really hear.

"I love you."

I wish I had turned around and answered him. But I didn't, and I kept walking, and I wish he would have gone after me. But he didn't, and he stayed behind. Even better, I wish he had not said that. He should not have said that.

I walked down the hall, back towards my brother's room. Kyouki appeared next to me, padding on silent feet, not smiling for once. I hesitated in front of the door.

"Are you going to go in?" she asked.

"I don't know yet."

"If you go, you can't come back."

"I know."

"You have to choose. You can have the fantasy or a chance at redemption, but you can't have both."

"I. Know." I leaned my forehead against the door.

"Then make up your mind, and answer me one question."

I looked down and our eyes met, blue and red. I thought about everything that had happened. As what Sasori had just said fully, truly, hit me, I realized that everything had crumbled with those three little words. None of this was possible. I looked full into the eyes of the self-proclaimed mad god.

"Do you believe that I exist?"

I opened the door.

"No."

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><p>So? What'ja think? It's not over yet, we've got a couple of chapters to go. But we're getting close to the finale, so you'd better review!<p>

Peace out.


	48. The Beginning of the End

Here's the latest chapter. Sorry about that cliff-hanger, and how long this took, but I have very important exams that I have to study for, so this might be a bit rushed, but I was so excited I had to finish it! Only one more chapter after this one, folks, and then the epilogue, and this story will be over! We've about reached the review goal, too, so I hope you'll continue supporting me through this last stretch.

Until I start the sequel, anyway.

Review!

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><p>A bit later that night, when everyone had gone to sleep, I untied my brother.<p>

I walked ahead, absolutely terrified, in the dark hallway. I was scared they would find me, and the hallucinations would morph into something worse. Just because I had admitted none of this was real didn't mean I had any control over it. I shivered, stepping carefully on the carpet, my fingers twitching and my heart pounding; my mouth felt dry, and my breath seemed far louder than it had any right to be. Adam walked behind me. I felt no tension from him.

I had to keep reminding myself; we were alone. Nothing was going to stop us. It was just my brain messing with me. Only by constantly running those thoughts through my mind could I even move. We reached the stairs. I stepped carefully, one at a time, anxiously waiting for them to creak. My brother humored me and did the same.

We got to the bottom. We walked across the hall. We made it to the front door. My hand stretched out to open it. I could taste blood; hear my heart racing; just a little more.

"Tenshi, hm?"

I half turned. I saw his shocked, betrayed face, and my heart skipped a beat before Adam grabbed my arm, threw the door open, and pulled me out. We clambered down the steps, got to the car; he opened the door and shoved me inside. He had the car started and was backing out of the driveway before I had time to think about what was happening. I was jerked to the side as the car moved. I glanced out the window, and it hit me. What I was doing really hit me, as I saw Deidara running after us.

"TENSHI!"

I was seized by panic. I forgot we were in a moving car, rapidly accelerating. I groped for the door handle but found it locked. I started to hyperventilate. Deidara yelled, but I put my hands over my ears, closed my eyes, trying to block out everything but failing, breathing faster and faster as his voice reminded me of what I was doing. I couldn't get his face out of my mind, that look of hurt, of betrayal, of desperation; I'd never seen him make that kind of face. I didn't even know he was capable of it. I didn't know Sasori was capable of saying those words. I didn't know anything at all.

I didn't do anything as we drove away. I stayed still, my knees drawn up to my chest, my arms over my head, as rain broke and crashed on the hood of the car, filling it with noise like rocks on a sheet of metal. But no matter how loud the noise, how dark the inside of the car, how much I tried to do exactly what I had been doing for years, the deliberate suppression of my memories, I was unable to forget that one face; those three words. All I could do was put my hands over my ears and try desperately not to hear.

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><p>Deidara stopped running when it was clear he couldn't catch up. No matter how much chakra he pumped into his legs, he couldn't keep up; he cursed the fact that he didn't have his clay. He cursed the fact that he'd gotten lax, that he'd let his guard down since he'd gotten here. He stopped, and stood in the rain, head bowed down.<p>

"Dammit . . ." he growled. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" He began to walk back to the house, in the rain, his hair and clothes quickly becoming soaked. It was dark, so he could barely see where he was going, and tripped a couple of times. He kicked furiously at a rock, but it splashed in a puddle and sent water over his feet. He walked on, teeth gritted in helpless fury.

He should have been able to stop her. He should have caught her. But at the same time, he couldn't believe she'd done that-that she'd chosen her brother over him. After what he'd done, Deidara couldn't imagine what he could possibly have said to her to make her leave with him. Once again, that damn girl had taken his expectations and stomped them under her little sarcastic foot. Sometimes, he wondered why he loved her. She drove him crazy.

But he then smiled. Perhaps, _that _was why he loved her.

He arrived back at the house, soaking wet and shivering, his hair like a yellow rag, to Sasori pacing the living room emanating cold fury. Deidara tried to back out of the room, but Sasori saw him. He turned his empty, yet piercing glare onto him.

"Where is she?" he said in a low voice.

"I couldn't catch up, hm."

"You dare . . . you insolent brat, how could you come back here without her?"

"The . . . car . . . thing, was too fast. Hm."

With every word, Sasori's fury rose. Deidara cringed under his now murderous glare, pressure bearing down on him. Lowering his face, he bit his lip in anger and humiliation, letting his hair fall across his face to hide his eyes. Sasori's anger seemed to only mount, with only his eyes betraying its presence, until it flared down abruptly and he dashed up the stairs. Deidara followed after a moment's consternation, and entered the attic after him. Itachi was on his knees making adjustments to the chalk diagram on the floor, wiping minute details and redrawing whole symbols, into something much more complex than before. His concentration was unbroken by Sasori barging in and demanding to see Pein. He was redirected to the office by a cursory statement, and rushed out again, almost colliding with Deidara, who hurried to follow once more. Sasori moved quickly, in a desperate rush, his face almost contorted with a mixture of fury, panic, and fear that Deidara wouldn't have thought was possible. He slammed the door to Pein's office, and strode in. Pein looked up from his desk. Paper sheets were scattered over everything, heavy piles making the desk groan.

"Sasori. Good timing. I want you to . . ."

"She left." Sasori said in a rushed monotone, cutting the leader off. Pein raised his eyebrow, ever so slightly.

"I am aware. We have just discussed this; Zetsu has reported every word she exchanged with that man."

"Then why didn't you stop her, hm?" Deidara said.

"Because she is no longer necessary. The jutsu will be completed sooner than predicted. We will be leaving in several hours. Noon at the latest."

Sasori was about to retort, when the door banged open again. Konan walked in, Akuma on her heels.

"Pein, what is the meaning of this?" she demanded.

"We heard all this noise, and Tenshi isn't here anymore!" Akuma was close to tears. "Her brother's gone, too! Where did Tenshi go?"

What followed was a cacophony of shouted and almost shouted questions, near hysterical cries, angry statements of incomprehension, somebody banging their fist on the wall (probably Deidara; Sasori as a rule has better self-control), demands for answers, threats (to whom exactly was unclear), additional people (Hidan, followed by Kakuzu, then a nearly sleepwalking Kisame) barging in and demanding silence so they could sleep, all blending together in a mess of noise nobody could understand anymore. Certainly, Pein could not, and they were being very loud, which made his ears hurt. Itachi poked his head in to see what was disrupting his very sensitive, and could be argued dangerous, task, raised an eyebrow, refused to catch Leader's glare (silently asking for help) and disappeared. Meanwhile, Deidara and Sasori started yelling at each other instead of whoever else they had been yelling at before, Akuma was sobbing, Hidan was yelling curses at Kakuzu, Kisame was holding his head between his hands, groaning, and in general the situation was completely out of hand and Leader had had enough of it, and _this was enough_.

"SILENCE!"

There was silence, proving that Tenshi was not the only one capable of holding the attention of so many hardened criminals (and one bubbly girl).

"What's going on . . . ?" Hikari stumbled in, red hair sticking up like a hay stacks, rubbing her eyes. "Seriously guys, two in the morning, keep it down . . . Don't let the gremlins catch you with the lights on, they'll tickle you . . ." She rambled, yawned and wandered off.

All eyes stayed fixed on the open door. Konan nudged Akuma, and whispered in her ear, "You should go get her; I think she should hear this."

And Akuma led Hikari back in, stumbling a little bit. Pein started by moving everybody into the living room, since this had turned into an impromptu meeting and nobody was going back to sleep anyway. Itachi was fetched, and looked slightly annoyed at the constant interruptions, but he leaned against the wall to listen anyway.

"As I hope you've all picked up by now," Pein said pointedly. "I have allowed Tenshi and her brother to leave." He calmed the beginnings of a fuss with a single glare. "The reason for that being, we are about to leave and I do not believe she will cause problems. That man, her brother, had convinced her we are all a figment of her imagination."

He allowed protests to break out for ten seconds, before reclaiming their attention. "Tenshi is gone. I have spoken to that man, and he assured me this was the best thing to do for the girl's health, and stated his intention to take her back to a city he called New York. They are heading towards an . . . air-port. We came to an agreement; we will leave by tomorrow night at the very latest, and he will not contact any authority that might cause us inconvenience."

"And you believed him?" Hidan interjected. "For all you know, the police could be on their way right now!"

"No," mused Kakuzu. "The nearest airport is in the town next to the military base north of here, three hours by car. Assuming they have left an hour ago, they are still on the road. The man cannot place a call without alerting the girl."

"So?"

"Use your head. How do you think Tenshi would react to having been deceived in that manner?" Kakuzu pointed out to his partner.

"Fine, I get it, the bitch is gone, hooray!" Hidan said sarcastically. "Can I go back to sleep?"

"Kakuzu, how do you know so much about the region?" Kisame asked.

He shrugged. "The information seemed relevant. I acquire knowledge about every possible escape route in the region."

"You were planning on taking a plane?" Hikari deadpanned. "Do you even know what a plane is?"

Kakuzu looked mildly offended. "We could have kidnapped a pilot."

"I don't think that would have been a good idea."

"Can we focus, hm?" Deidara said angrily. "Tenshi's gone!"

"What do you want to do about it? She left of her own free will." said Kisame. "If Leader says she is no longer a threat, we have no reason to go after her."

"Of course we do!"

"Why?" asked Kakuzu.

Everybody stared at Deidara while he struggled to come up with a satisfactory answer. He couldn't tell them he wanted her to come back with them just because he wanted her to. Because he loved her. He couldn't admit it to _these_ people. Heck, a few months ago he barely knew half of them by sight, and hadn't even directly spoken to most of them. They just didn't have that kind of a relationship. And most of them didn't look like they wanted to do anything. They didn't care.

That set him on edge. Only Sasori cared, and that was maddening as well; that somebody else wanted her, that was unbearable, even more so because he seemed to be closer to her. Akuma was no help, in her state, and Konan simply looked down as if this was all for the best.

"You know what? To hell with this. I'm going." He prepared to walk out, when Leader's voice stopped him, lashing out.

"What sort of foolish thing do you think you can accomplish?"

"I'm bringing her back!"

Sasori's eyes narrowed, but Deidara simply shot him a defiant glance before turned back to Pein.

"I'm going after her. It's not like she'll get in the way!"

"You intend to take her back with us." It wasn't a question. Leader's face was blank.

"Yeah, hm! You got a problem with that, hm?"

Everybody was quiet at this show of defiance, but Leader never so much as batted an eyelid. The silent moment of near unbearable tension dragged on.

Leader broke it with a mild sight. "I will indulge in your whim, this time. You'll need Itachi to drive. It will set the jutsu back, but Sasori can work on it in his place so as to minimize the time lost."

"Leader!" Sasori protested. "I wish to go as well!"

"Besides Itachi you are the one most knowledgeable about the jutsu. Your presence is required here."

"But . . ."

"I will hear no more arguments." He turned back to Deidara. "We are leaving upon your return, whether or not you have the girl with you. Attempt to convince her to come, if you think you are able."

Deidara nodded and dashed out. Itachi pushed himself off the wall, and walked over to Kakuzu.

"Where is this town?"

Ten minutes later, once Itachi had gotten the directions, they headed out under the night rain. Sasori stayed on the porch, looking out after them long after the lights from the car had faded out. Angry, distraught, full of panic, a jumble of muted emotions trying to break through his shell of a body, pulsing through the core of flesh that was his heart, he stayed, waiting for the one he loved to return, on the same place where he had begun to fall in love with her.

'_Come back to me as fast as you can. I don't like to be kept waiting.'_

Words he wanted to say, words maybe it would have been better if he hadn't said. Among the internal turmoil, guilt rose. After Deidara had rushed out after her and before he'd come back, Pein had told him of the conversation Tenshi and her brother had had. What had convinced her none of this was real was his confession. Sasori himself felt this couldn't be real, that he couldn't be feeling this, because he was a puppet and nothing more, so he could understand how she felt. Both of them were similar, in the end, although she was more a doll than a puppet. A puppet may be artistic in its eternal beauty, but a doll is a treasured, unique thing. She was his doll, his to play with and to treasure. He refused to give her up to anybody.

As he returned inside to complete his task, elsewhere, in a different part of the country, men gathered round a table in shocked silence. Maps and documents spread everywhere, everybody in a state of emergency, as news of bombings streamed in; military bases on the West coast of the United States had been attacked by aerial bombers, causing massive casualties. All flights were grounded. A state of national emergency was declared. There was discussion of a counter-attack, disbelief that no one knew what was causing it, and somebody mentioned the similarity to the incident having taken place in New York several weeks ago. One of the documents was a map, marking the sites of all the attacks with big red crosses.

Meanwhile, Tenshi and her brother arrived at the airport, and were told after half an hour that all flights were canceled. They stayed in the lobby while Adam made calls, trying to figure out what was going on. In the meantime, Itachi and Deidara sped down the highway, fast approaching the town. Deidara nervously bit his lip, hoping they would make it in time. The town slept, knowing nothing, and the girl in her broken world put her hands over her ears.

Several hours later, as the sun broke over the state of Washington, in the room with all the official seeming people, one of them received a call. Silently, solemnly, he added a cross to the map.

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><p>I'll say it here, in case you haven't the note at the beginning: one more chapter, then the epilogue, and then it's over. I got a lot of great reviews last time, so I hope you'll keep it up through this last stretch.<p>

I'm also very excited about the sequel! I hope you are too, though I'm planning something completely different in style and plot than this story. One thing I will say is that it will take place in the Naruto world.

Peace out.


	49. Angel

Here it is folks. I hope you like it. I'm leaving for Japan in about an hour, and I really wanted to get this chapter up before I left. It's been a fun ride, and I'd want to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, or heck just read the damn thing.

There's still the epilogue, so stay tuned for that. I'll have it out in two weeks or so.

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><p>"It's no use. All the flights are cancelled." Adam came back and sat next to me with a sigh. I was curled up in one of those airport chairs, my hair falling over my face, my mind blank. There was no one else around. Harsh neon light flooded the space, creating shadows that cut up the floor. Everything was colorless. Only pure white light and dark shadows.<p>

It wasn't real. It wasn't real. The endless mantra had consumed my thoughts, so that it was all I could think of. I was trying to erase all my memories of the time I had spent with them. All of it. Squash it down, break it up, manipulate my thinking, it wasn't real anyway, so what was the point of keeping all that guilt around? It wasn't real. I was sick. I needed help. Someone had to help me. But before, I had to kill the part of myself that still believed.

"Ange? Are you okay?" His voice sounded far away. I peeked through the curtain of my red streaked hair and saw his concerned face. I felt the heat of his body next to me, and took in, one at a time, his eyes, his mouth, his hand gripped on his knee, and was suddenly aware that he was there. That was when I felt something was wrong. I tried to push the feeling away, but it mounted like a tide of anxiety from the pits of my stomach, and pure, horrible,_ doubt_ began to gnaw at my brain. Paranoia seeped into my veins like ice, through my nerves, into my organs, my limbs, till my whole body felt numb. The source of it? One simple realization.

_Adam was another person._

It was so simple a thought; it was ridiculous I hadn't noticed before. He wasn't me. He was a fully separate entity, completely distinct from myself. I could not trust anybody that was not me. It was irrational to trust others; others lie; my belief had always been, trust myself; that was the foundation of my memory repression, that if I didn't think it was real, it was not; what others say is irrelevant; you never know what others are thinking; _you can never know if someone is lying to you_. The only logical conclusion, the only thing that made sense, was to choose a foundation, something to fall back on when the world failed. I had chosen my own perception. Because, faulty as it was, no matter how much I hallucinated, I could still logically _think_. I knew, rationally, after my psychotic episodes, that what I had seen was not real. If so, why did I have to try and force myself that what I had been experiencing was false? The realization that it was fake should have been obvious. But it wasn't. I doubted.

I didn't know anymore. I had to think rationally, logically.

First, what had made me believe Adam was telling the truth? He had challenged my foundation by questioning my perception. More than anything, it had been his confidence that swayed me. He seemed so sure, so calm, that I had been drawn in, by his smooth voice and soft, still eyes that reminded me of my own. He had appealed to our old bond, brother and sister who once trusted each other, the bond of blood.

I raised my head and looked his way, never making eye contact. My hair stuck to my cheek, too long, and I pushed it back behind my ear.

"Say . . . you mentioned you were getting your PhD. In what, exactly?"

He smiled, probably happy that I was taking an interest in his life. "In clinical psychology. I'd like to become a doctor . . ."

My hand, in the process of smoothing back my hair, froze. It fell.

My muscles went limp. I slouched down in my chair, completely weak. I felt numb again. Suddenly, irrevocably, there was the realization that I had made a horrible mistake. I felt like a fool, a child, a weak idiot to have been played so easily with. He had a degree in psychology; he knew how people's minds worked; and that included my own. Now that I saw it in that light, what he had said had made no sense. Dawn had talked to them too, hadn't she? Hikari was there, wasn't she? Dawn was there. Dawn was my rock. She wouldn't lie to me like that, she never had, never will, the idea that she ever would was absurd.

When it came down to it, even if my senses failed, even if I could no longer tell which way was up, what the color of the sky was, or whether or not the person I was yelling at really stood in front of me, Dawn would be there to guide me. Between her and this person I had not seen in years, the person who had abandoned me, the choice should have been crystal clear.

So I sat, blank with shock, crushed under the full weight of the realization of what I had done. Deidara's face, Sasori's words, all true, all true. That was the reality I must accept. That was the reality I had lost. What was it exactly? Why did I regret the life I could have had? What did I expect would happen if I hadn't stayed?

I felt Kyouki's arms snaking around my shoulders. They felt like hot smoke. Her ephemeral hair brushed against my neck, as she whispered into my ear.

"What is it that you wish for?"

I had no idea what I wanted out of life. Somewhere along the line, I had lost something, some part of me that was able to think about the future. So afraid of the past, so concerned with erasing it, stuck in a loop without the will to escape, so afraid . . . death was better than this. The realization that I was not alive, not while I continued shutting my gaze and putting my hands over my ears. The best I could become was someone's puppet, living for someone else while losing my sense of self. That was the result of my years of running away. By shutting down my memories, by running from the past, by being scared like a child, by continuously refusing to acknowledge and heal my wounds, all I had done was kill myself. I was destroying my identity.

So, what did I want? What did I want to become, what kind of person did I want to become? The thought of disappearing was unbearable. Beyond being desired by someone else, beyond living for the sake of another, I wanted to be real. To regain what I had lost, to be real and human once more, because I could not stand the thought of disappearing without being able to change anything, to correct my mistakes, and achieve something worthwhile. I wanted to live. I did not want to die, to become a mere puppet, without a sense of self or the realization that I was nothing. I wanted . . . I wanted . . .

I stood. Kyouki's arms fell away. Standing in the contrast of light and shadows, I realized that I wanted to live. I wrapped my arms around myself, and closed my eyes. To live, to rise, to become something more . . . I couldn't stay like this forever. If I did, I would disappear entirely.

More than anything at that moment, I did not want that.

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><p>The car sped down the highway. It swerved around other cars, nearly crashed into the side railing more than once, and had to do a rather violent maneuver when it missed the exit, but overall both riders were none the worse for wear. One of them was rather out of breath, his hand white from gripping his seat and a bruise forming on his shoulder from when the car had done that turnaround, but otherwise still alive. His companion, the one at the steering wheel, had his foot on the gas and was squinting to try and see where he was going. As he drove into the town, he narrowly avoided a pole, before stopping to check the map he had been given, as the person in the passenger seat breathed a short-lived sigh of relief. They were off again once the way had been memorized, which was only slightly helpful because the driver could barely see the turns, let alone the signs. After meandering in the dark streets for twenty minutes, the passenger finally had had enough. He told the driver to stop, grabbed the map, and kicked the door open.<p>

"Stay here, hm. I'll be back in a bit."

A grunt was his only answer. He touched down on the cold ground and ran. The streets were dark, the sky just beginning to turn violet and the stars beginning to fade into dust. Streetlamps cast harsh yellow shadows on the ground, and the sound of footsteps reverberated among the tall buildings, rising and disappearing with the stars as he navigated through the concrete maze. In the distance, he could hear roaring of engines getting closer. He turned around a corner and came face to face with a gigantic mass of brick and white mortar, sweeping off towards the horizon, illuminated so brightly it felt like daytime. He crossed the two hundred yards of parking space and grimy rails separating him from the entrance, eyes narrowed against the glare; the doors opened automatically as he sped past, looking around, desperately searching . . .

He searched. It was not long before he found what he was looking for. Standing, transfixed as if in wonder or horror with her arms around her, she seemed frail as glass and about to break into a shower of scintillating shards. He called her name, and it echoed throughout the high ceiling. Her arms fell to her sides. She turned, and it was as if time slowed. Her hair spread out, her eyes met his, both clear as a bell, as the light caught hold of them and made them glow. Her lips trembled, his outstretched hand faltered, and as she fully faced him, it was as if she was brand new. More fragile than ever before, yet desperately clear and bright; and more beautiful than he'd ever seen her. His words caught in his throat, he took a handful to steps, and the two stood together within the confines of choked time.

With newfound strength his hand reached out once more, held out to her in unspoken invitation. She was frozen. Her glowing eyes betrayed no emotion, her lips half-parted as if to draw breath. Yet, his lingering eyes saw her fingers twitch. Ever so slightly, a small forward motion, her hand began to move.

With the roaring sound of an explosion and the shaking of the ground, everything broke down. The lights wavered on and off, the ceiling trembled and began to collapse, the air filled with dust, and the girl fell to her knees with a cry.

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><p>Catching a glimpse of him, in that moment I had made my decision. I knew what I had to do, to begin anew and find meaning for my future and for myself. I wanted to see it. A world beyond my own, a marvelous expanse of time and space where conventional rules of physics were grinded together without so much as a sigh, a place to discover what lay beyond the broken life I bore partial responsibility for forging. If that world was real, then others were; if that world could be reached, then others could; there would be no more limits. I felt in that moment I could find it, I thought I heard it calling out, with my newly awakened soul beating in my chest. All I would have to do was take that hand, and eternity could be achieved. The mad god standing next to me looked on with cold eyes, as if knowing all and saying none. The sister existence that had achieved eternity for an unknown purpose seemed to me so close. Her eyebrows dipped, and her eyes closed.<p>

"You wish to become a god." she whispered in a resigned, regretful tone. "That is not something you should wish for."

I did not know the meaning of those words. I did not know why she said them, and I did not respond. In that moment, I wanted all limits to be lifted, and I wanted it more than anything.

Then, I was dragged back to reality. As dust clogged my eyes and the rumble of the ground drove me to my knees, and explosions bloomed overhead, making the building groan and start to collapse, I looked up and . . .

"Ange!" Adam yelled. "We've got to get out of here!" He hauled me to my feet. Dazed by the noise and confused by the dust that blocked everything from sight, I looked for the person that had disappeared. My brother dragged me toward the exit, but I resisted, twisting my head left and right, searching. I saw him, and ripped my arm out of my brother's grasp. His face was shocked, regretful, begging me not to go, but I left it behind. I wanted to leave it all behind. I wanted the new, eternal, infinite world.

As I ran up to him, things would never be the same. I thought I wanted infinity; I thought I wanted to see a universe beyond my broken life. I saw the chunk of ceiling falling. I saw where it was about to crash. I saw that person who, in spite of everything, I realized I cared for. Not in any particularly meaningful way; but simply wanting to protect. The same impulse that moved me to protect Dawn, that had animated me while I had pushed Hikari away from the edge of the hole, seized me. The meaning of my following action was nothing more than the realization that my life was worth nothing to me, and the slight regret that I never would have time to give it value. I did not want to disappear; but at the same time, I thought that if someone should disappear, then it might as well be me.

I ran. My momentum carried me right up to him. His blue eyes widened in shock. With all the strength in my body, with every last ounce of regret and anger and pain and desperation I could muster, I pushed him away.

I fell to the ground, rubble scratching my arms, dust settling on my skin. A fraction of a second later, pain exploded on my legs, and my vision blurred. My hand groped out weakly. I raised my eyes as much as I could, and met those of the mad god, looking down on me, telling me with her gaze, what a fool you are. And perhaps it was foolish of me. I had given up everything. I couldn't understand why I had even done it.

The mad god kneeled down, and smoothed her hair back, her eyes condescending, and full of pity. "Angelique . . . you are a kind, kind girl, aren't you?"

Was that it? I couldn't think straight anymore. I felt a warm hand grasping my own, and saw a curtain of yellow hair obscuring my vision. That person was yelling something, grasping my hand far too tightly, but the pain in my legs obscured everything else.

I remembered those two. Strange, they both meant something to me, but I couldn't quite figure out what; did I love them? The answer, immediate, was no. But I wanted them to live. Probably more than I wanted to become something more than I currently was. That was foolish of me, but did it make me kind? Who knows.

I clung to the hand holding mine, and began to cry. I did not want to disappear. But in this way, if both of them could go on without me, then, just like this, it would be fine.

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><p>Deidara clung to her hand, and yelled her name. She didn't meet his eyes, and soon it grew limp in his own. Red spattered the huge piece of rumble pinning her down, slowly drifting away. He stood, and grabbed the edge of the piece, lifting it with all his strength. Chakra flowing through his limbs; slowly, it rose, and with one more burst of energy he sent it toppling to the side. The building was still collapsing. He had to get her out of there. He lifted her arm over his shoulder and carried her off, her legs trailing blood, useless and limp. He had to go slowly, and couldn't see anything because of the dust and roar of the falling rubble. He didn't know where the exit was. In his arms, she was growing cold.<p>

"Come on, stay with me you stupid girl," he shook her. "You're going to be fine. Open your eyes. Can you hear me, hm?"

Her eyelids twitched, and that was all he needed. "What did you do that for, hm?" he mumbled under his breath, as he headed in the direction he hoped was the exit.

Suddenly a figure burst through the dust and chaos. It was her brother. "This way," he said. He took her other arm, and together they carried her outside.

The chaos was almost worse. Sirens, people, cars, ambulances, red tape and cries, helicopters, all that and more, all mingling, disorganized, outside of the collapsing airport. There were small craters here and there, and in the distance smoke rose from other damaged buildings. The smell of burning flesh and gunpowder permeated everything.

A paramedic made his way to them. He took one look at the girl, and yelled for a stretcher. She was lain down, an oxygen mask put over her face, and after a quick examination, he signaled for her to be loaded onto one of the helicopters. He turned to the two men.

"Do you know her?" he asked, in a quick, urgent, harried voice.

"I'm her brother." said Adam.

"You can go with her. She's going to be airlifted to the nearest hospital, that's her only shot. She's lost too much blood, and at this rate she'll lose her legs."

Adam was escorted to the helicopter, where more victims were being loaded. Some, like the girl, had been crushed by falling rubble, their legs, arms, torsos or heads mangled and sometimes barely hanging on, or with brain showing. Others were so badly burned they were barely recognizable as human beings. With final yells, waving of arms, and a gust of foul smelling wind, the helicopter's blades began to spin, and it rose off the ground.

Deidara couldn't stop it. Tenshi disappeared with the helicopter, and he was left standing in the middle of chaos, stunned, alone with the full realization of what had happened. He began to walk, unnoticed, then broke into a run once he was past the red tape. Someone yelled at him to stop, but he paid no attention. He kept running until he reached the car, and got in, sweaty, out of breath and covered with dust. Itachi looked at him, blinked, and said nothing. After he'd gotten his breath back, Deidara said,

"Drive."

And without a comment, Itachi started the car. And during the whole ride back, he said nothing. Neither of them did. They reached the house when sunrise broke over the land, blinding, and Deidara's only words to Sasori, were, "I'm sorry. I couldn't convince her to come." Dawn, knowing something was wrong, pressed him for details, but he said nothing. The jutsu was ready. They gathered in the attic, on the symbol drawn on the floor, and a cold wind rose, circling, as Itachi, Pein and Sasori put their hands together in a handsign. As electricity crackled and chakra circulated through the room, Dawn, who was standing with Hikari, got a phone call. She listened, her face turned white, the phone slipped from her hand, the voice on the other end lost, and her horrified eyes met Deidara's. He turned away.

"Don't you dare . . ." she yelled. "Don't you dare leave her!" She ran to the wall of chakra surrounding them, and pounded on it, anger distorting her face. "DEIDARA! You can't! STOP IT! You can't . . ." She cried, but her voice wasn't heard through the noise, and all of a sudden they disappeared in a flash of light.

Dawn fell to her knees, tears on her cheeks. "Don't go . . ."

But it was too late. They were gone.

* * *

><p>Several weeks later, Dawn visited Tenshi in the hospital. She was sitting up, looking out the window, bathed in the glow of the midday sun. Her hair was longer, the red streaks in it vanishing, and her skin was white as porcelain. Her legs lay useless under the sheets. She looked very fragile, but there was newfound strength in her eyes. The first thing she said to her friend was that she shouldn't call her Tenshi anymore. And then, she smiled. Dawn smiled back, and got the feeling, despite everything, that it would be alright. As they talked, Angel said that once she was discharged, she would check herself into a mental hospital. Dawn, while shocked, felt this was proper. Angel had finally decided to let someone help her.<p>

They did not speak of the Akatsuki. Angel did not mention them, and while they filled Dawn's mind, she did not ask the burning questions she had. Dawn missed them. What Angel thought about them was, to her, a complete mystery. She seemed melancholic, though, and just a little sad.

Dawn got permission to take her out in a wheelchair, and together they went down into the garden, under the shade of a large tree. The wind whistled through the branches, lifting the scent of freshly mowed grass up to them, blowing Angel's hair back. Her hand drifted up, and grabbed a strand of it. Pensively, she rubbed it between her fingers.

"Say, Dawn?"

"What is it?"

"I think . . . I'm going to grow my hair out."

"That sounds like a good idea."

She released the strand of hair, and calmly listened to the wind.

Throughout the world, things were set in motion. A war was starting, and children were growing up. The girl who was determined to rise sat in her wheelchair, filled with determination, her mind sharpening like a blade as the fog of her previous life was removed. Unknown to her, that determination, that blade like mind would impact both her own world and one fully distinct from it. Laws of reality would be discovered and broken, physics would warp, and the girl would become what she most desired. Across from time and space, in the realm beyond life, a shadow waited for destiny to play its part.

* * *

><p>Stay tuned for the epilogue, and review!<p>

Peace out.


	50. Epilogue

Here is it, people. The epilogue. It turned out to be much longer than I'd planned, but who cares. The timing is perfect. I've graduated high school, am heading for college, and my birthday was this week.

It's been a fun ride with you guys. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who reviewed and read. And now, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the epilogue to An Angel, A Devil, An the Akatsuki.

One last review for the road?

* * *

><p>It had been a month since they had returned from that strange other world. It had been a peculiar experience for them-being turned, however temporarily, into cats. For the most part, they wouldn't care to repeat it. Hidan was glad to be rid of that boring place where he couldn't sacrifice anyone (and where he had been under the thumb of a crazy woman with a stick); Kakuzu went through a period of withdrawal when the computer he had stolen ceased to function after an hour, and he realized that his entire savings were gone with the wind, but otherwise he was glad to be back to a familiar world; Kisame relished being able to walk outside without hiding and being once more with his precious Samehada; Itachi was relieved that his plan for Sasuke, Konohagakure, and the Akatsuki could proceed without much interruption; Zetsu could finally eat a fresh corpse (as opposed to scavenging from the morgue); Pein shrugged off the indignity of having been in the shape a small feline for some time, and returned to his plan for world domination; Konan joined him, occasionally thinking with melancholy and a twinge of guilt about the girls they had left behind. The members, coordinated by Pein, went their separate ways and took missions to bring in money. Life continued much as it had before for them, with one notable exception. Pein had decided to establish a sort of permanent hideout near Amegakure, an underground complex where members could come and rest if they so desired. It was used when Itachi needed a safe place to recover after a battle that would heavily tax his eyes, or when Hidan had to be stitched back together after incurring Kakuzu's wrath. Sasori found it useful as a workshop. Otherwise, it remained most often empty.<p>

The two exceptions were the ones who had been most affected by the trip. Deidara refused to take any missions. Instead, he followed Itachi around, demanding that he take them back one more time. It was his thought, inside of his head, that surely she must be in shape to travel by now; and she would come, this time, because she had wanted to come. He would bring her back. To him, it was not too late to fix things and put her by his side. There was a part of guilt clawing at him, as well. Her final action . . .

Sasori took a more dignified and collected route. He felt, distantly, remorse at not having been able to speak to her before leaving, and anger at what he believed to be Deidara's failure. But at the same time, he felt a peculiar sort of satisfaction, a smugness that he wasn't precious enough to her to convince her to return with them. In Sasori's eyes, he could do it. She would listen to him; it was not too late.

For both of them, the refusal to give up meant the possibility that she might return to them. How they saw the situation was very different. If they each knew how the other felt about the girl, they kept silent about it. They never discussed her. They each felt she belonged to them, and their egos would not let them consider the possibility that she might chose the other; in fact, from each' perspective, she already had chosen them.

This situation dragged on for a month. Pein, despite issuing reprimands, was unable to do much as he was busy with putting things back in order after their absence, and that included figuring out why Tobi had been the sole one unaffected. Unknown to the leader, Tobi had in fact been the culprit; because of a conversation he had had with a certain character, who advised him on how to make the complex space-time ninjutsu jutsu to send the Akatsuki, and advised him that doing so would be best, as he would surely be on the losing end of the coming war. Though he had never seen this person's face, he distinctly remembered it having large black wings almost entirely covered with a disease-like red crystal growth. Although, Tobi had been surprised upon hearing that they had been turned into cats; he was also disappointed about the lack of information gleaned; not that he let any of it show. He pretended to know nothing. In the meantime, the dark cloaked red-winged figure that seemed to know everything had disappeared. Tobi decided to keep an eye out. He felt that the figure was an anomaly, and could prove crucial later on.

Eventually, Itachi decided to give in to his colleagues' demands, and return them, temporarily, to the other world so they could find the one they loved. Why he did it is uncertain. It could have been out of pity, curiosity, or simply because they interfered with his plans for Sasuke, following him around like that. In any case, he warned them this would be the last trip. The strain on his eyes was too great.

They didn't mention it to anyone else, except for Kisame who happened to overhear and decided to watch over the diagram and wait for them to return. It wouldn't take them long. They'd found out after they'd returned that only about a week had passed since they were gone; time flowed differently in between the two worlds. It was scarcely believable at first, that almost no time had passed while they were trapped in that strange other world.

Once the diagram was ready they gathered inside, and Itachi made the handsigns. His Sharingan flashed red and black, and suddenly they were swallowed in howling winds. Flashes of strange colors and crumbling sounds surrounded them, but they stayed very still. They landed, rather quickly, on the twin diagram in Tenshi's attic. Deidara and Sasori looked around, and the former tried to suppress a cough.

"Are you sure . . . this is it?" Sasori asked Itachi as Deidara broke into a harsh cough, followed by a sneeze. Itachi knelt down and surveyed the diagram drawn on the floor. He nodded once.

"What's with the dust, hm?"

It was the attic, that much was unmistakable; there was the symbol, on the floor, and they recognized the layout. But it was covered in a thick layer of dust, so thick their feet left deep imprints and the diagram was scarcely visible. The lone window was boarded up, letting in thin streaks of light in which the particles of stirred dust shone like gold. Thick cobwebs covered everything, the bed that no longer had a mattress, the piles of cardboard boxes, the large chest in the corner. Looking at all this, the three reached the same conclusion. There was no way this much dust could have accumulated in only a month.

As they looked around, the door creaked open. Their gazes were drawn to the entrance, and with surprise they saw a small figure poke its head through the half opened doorway. Deidara's eyes went wide with shock. Sasori was frozen. Itachi abruptly stood, composure broken and quickly reassembled.

The figure that looked at them with innocent, expecting eyes was a small child. A little girl, three or four years old, wearing a frilly black cotton dress and black shoes with bows, her ash blond hair tied up in twin ponytails, her wide gray-blue eyes blinking in a face as white as porcelain, stood there and tilted her head slightly. They all recognized her.

"Tenshi . . ." whispered Sasori.

She darted out of the attic and ran down the stairs, yelling,

"GRANDMA!"

Deidara stood with his hand outstretched. He had a horrible feeling. Exactly how much time had passed? They quickly descended into the entry way, looking around. The wood of the stairs creaked even worse, and was starting to rot. Through the doorway, they could see the living room, empty, full of dust, the large french windows boarded up. The images from their memory were superposed over the reality they saw. The little girl was gone. Deidara walked numbly to the spot where Tenshi's chair had been. Sasori stood where the couch had been placed, and remembered how they all used to watch TV. Itachi put his hand over the empty space that had held the bookcase.

Everything was gray, brown, and dull. The smell of mold was everywhere. Cold drafts came in from cracks in the windows, the dining room's wallpaper was peeling, the walls were crumbling. In this place, where they had once spent time, where had lived the girl they had both come to love, there was no longer anything more than dust and memories.

"What in the world . . . ?" said Deidara.

Sasori shook his head. He was starting to get a horrible, horrible idea of what was going on. Time flowed much quicker here than it did in their world. Judging by the state of the house, the length of time was not to the scale of months, but years, maybe even decades.

"Grandma, come on!" They heard the little girl's voice echoing through the entryway. "Come on, come on!"

"Yes, yes, they won't go anywhere." The answer sounded amused and weary, and vaguely familiar. The footsteps were slow, and slightly ominous to their ears.

"Hurry!" she insisted. She came into view, pulling on a woman's black dress. "Hurry, grandma!" She tugged one more time, and the woman came into the room. The little girl hid behind her skirt, peeking through the folds of cloth, her blue eyes wide and curious. Deidara held his breath.

The woman was old, her face lined and pale, and her brown hair heavily streaked with gray. Her bright green eyes, which had once sparkled, were now weary. She was very thin, almost ghost like, and clothed in a long black dress with a string of pearls around her neck. She carried herself straight as a rod, shoulders back and chin held up, as though in defiance of the world. The old woman put her hand on the little girl's head, and smiled.

Itachi was the first to recognize her. "Akuma?" he asked, in disbelief. She nodded, and her smile turned sad.

"Welcome back." she said. "It took you quite a while, didn't it? Ah, better late than never, I suppose. And just on time, too."

"You're . . . Akuma?" Sasori said, frowning. "But you're so . . ."

"Old? Yes, dear. A long time has passed. Alice," she turned to the little girl. "Be good and go explore while I talk to these gentlemen, okay?"

"Will I get to talk to them too?" she piped up in a sweet voice. "I want to talk to them."

"Later, dear. Later."

"'kay." And the little girl, whose name they now knew was Alice, ran up the stairs to the first floor to investigate. They heard her slight footsteps overhead.

"Now then," Dawn turned back to the three speechless men in the remnants of Tenshi's living room. "I would offer you tea, but as you can see, our locale is quite lacking. It has been decades since anyone lived here."

"You _are_ Akuma, right, hm?" He just couldn't believe his eyes. The spunky, overly cheery ball of brown fluff was now a dignified old lady with her hair in a bun and tired looking eyes. Her face was so lined, the skin like parchment, but her could still recognize the features of the innocent airhead they had known.

"Yes, Deidara. I know I've aged," She said acidly. "But you should still know me."

"What did you mean when you said we were just in time?" asked Sasori.

"Oh, this house is about to be torn down. Without the diagram in the attic, I assumed you wouldn't be able to come back. I bought the house after Angel's parents died, as none of the three children wanted it. In any case, there is nothing left here. Alice insisted on seeing it one last time, the strange child. Ah, I will have to tell all that has happened, won't I?"

"Where's Tenshi?" Deidara blurted out.

Dawn paused. Her eyes took on a faraway look. "Ah, yes, we were just on our way out to see her. I assume you wish to come along?" They all nodded. "Very well then. I have a car waiting out front."

She called Alice, who came down, and looked up at the three Akatsuki members. She grabbed Sasori's cloak, inspected the red cloud pattern, and nodded to herself in a dignified manner. Dawn chuckled.

"What a strange child . . . shall we go?"

Dawn took Alice's hand and led the very confused and bewildered men to a long black car. Outside, the neighborhood was deserted, the houses falling into disrepair, crumbling to pieces. Dust and memories.

They entered the car, which was spacious and cool. There was a bouquet of white lilies lying in one seat. Alice clambered up and placed them delicately on her lap. With a grave expression she turned to Itachi, and said

"Grandma said her friend likes lilies. Do you like lilies?"

Itachi was at lost on how to respond. Alice tilted her head. "I don't like lilies. I don't like roses, either." And she nodded her head.

It was a fairly short ride, spent in silence, with the smell of lilies in the hair, and Alice getting yellow pollen on her black dress. Deidara didn't know what to feel; Sasori didn't know what to think. Itachi closed his eyes. And on and on the wheels turned. They stopped, and got out. They were in front of a large wrought iron gate, open to reveal lines of tombstones, stretching on, filling a vast area contained by a high stone wall. There was a slight hill in the middle, with a large tree at the top. Dawn went in, followed by Alice who carried the lilies and after a moment by the three men. She walked demurely, her face unseen, through the rows of granite stones, statues, slabs of marble, a handful of scattered mausoleums, and weeping angels. She led them up the hill along a dirt path.

Deidara looked around as he climbed, his mind numb. It couldn't be . . . there was no way . . .

They arrived at the top, under the dappled shade of the swaying tree. Alice skipped forward, and laid the lilies before a white, unmarked tombstone. Dawn stood over it, and spoke in a voice that seemed soft, full of nostalgia, yet unwavering. As if a long time had passed, enough to accept the reality before her.

"Guess who came to see you? You always said they'd be back." She gave a slight chuckle. "Yes, you knew very well, didn't you, Angel?"

The blow came down like a hammer. Deidara fell to his knees. Sasori was frozen, eyes going wide. Dawn kept speaking.

"They came back, and just in time, too. I didn't really believe it, but you always said . . .you always knew . . . that you'd be gone when they came back . . ." her voice trailed off. A cold wind shook the branches of the tree and blew through Alice's skirt, making it ripple like black waves in the air.

"No . . ." said Deidara. He pushed himself up, shaking his head. "No, no, there's no way, you're lying, Ten . . . she wouldn't . . ."

"How long?" Sasori's voice cracked. His head was down.

Dawn sighed, and looked up at the pure blue sky. "Let's see . . . it must be . . . fifty years now. It has been such a long time . . ."

Deidara bit his lip, his hand curling into a fist. He couldn't believe it. She couldn't be dead. Not after all this . . . no.

Itachi stepped forward. His cloak and hair were blown by the wind. "How long has it been since we left?"

"The day you left was sixty three years ago."

"Then . . . she died at twenty nine?"

"That's right."

Deidara was starting to hyperventilate. He couldn't believe it. He refused to accept it. Taking a step back, he shook his head. "No." he said. "No, hm. She can't be dead. Not after everything."

Dawn turned to face him, eyes soft and full of sadness. "She knew. After you left, she pulled herself together. She graduated high school within a year, and then went to college. She went through that in less than a year as well. She was intent . . ." Dawn took a deep, wavering breath. "She didn't want to wait and do nothing. She studied. Theories of alternate dimensions, time warping, new forms of energy, and how to travel across time and space, focusing on your dimension. Very quickly, she calculated that the passage of time in both our worlds was very different, and that the probability of you coming back during our lifetime was close to zero. She knew."

"Then . . . what happened? Why did she die so early?" Sasori said. His head was still down.

"After she came to that conclusion, she didn't give up. She said she wanted to build a machine that would let her travel through different dimensions, but I don't know if it ever came to anything. To get the funding for her project, she had to do some . . . low things. There was a war, you know, world war three. It started with the bombing, on the day you left, and escalated till nearly all countries were involved-it lasted fourteen years. Angel soon developed a technology based on new forms and manipulations of energy that officials in the army quickly found out could be used to create more effective weapons. Among them, extremely effective bombs. She sold her research to gather the necessary funds to build her machine . . . the result was the worst massacre of civilians and soldiers the world has ever known. It is estimated that a billion people at least were killed. I didn't approve, but Angel was relentless." She shook her head. Alice was chasing a butterfly under the tree, out of hearing. "I begged her not to . . . I said I would never speak to her again if she continued . . . but she did not listen. She . . . we completely lost touch after that. We'd already drifted apart, because of her work, and my marriage . . ." Dawn sighed. "So much has happened. I will answer any questions you have, but please, not here."

Itachi nodded. Sasori didn't move, and Deidara's fists were so tightly balled they were white. Alice came running, her hands cupped over something. She looked up at Deidara, and presented him with a yellow butterfly, staying still on her hand, its wings flapping slightly. He looked into her eyes, and saw the young Tenshi. He couldn't bear it. He turned away, biting his lip. The butterfly flew away.

They went back to the car. Sasori stayed in front of the grave. He stared at the tombstone with empty eyes. The wind rustled the leaves of the tree, his hair, his cloak, but the stone was still. Shadows fell over it.

"I made you wait. I'm sorry."

Sasori stayed there for a while. Then, having nothing more to say, he took the dirt path down the hill to the gate where the others were waiting, leaving the blank tombstone resting, alone, on the little hill. Everything was silent.

They got back in the car, and it drove away. Nobody said anything. Alice, sensing the gravity of the situation, stayed demurely silent, but her eyes kept shifting from Deidara to Sasori. They felt uncomfortable under that gaze. It was too much like the one they had lost.

The house they arrived at was so familiar Deidara did a double take as they rode up the wide alley leading from the gates. It was Akuma's mansion. Though identical as the past on the outside, the inside had been completely reconstructed. They felt lost as Dawn led them inside and left them in a spacious living room, with a large television imbedded in the wall, comfortable white couches and chairs, as well as a coffee table. On a shelf, many photographs in various frames were lined up. There were plants in the corners, art on the walls, and large french windows looked out into a courtyard with a large pool. Within the luxury, there were signs of a child's influence. There were toys scattered underneath the television, and a pink stuffed bunny stared at them from its place on a chair, one eye missing. Alice hopped up on the chair and grabbed the toy, hugging it tightly to her chest as she watched the three men.

Dawn came back with a tray of tea and cookies. She served, silently, and took her seat in an old armchair. She seemed to gear herself up for what would follow.

"You may ask whatever questions you have." she said, and took a sip.

Deidara was the first to blurt something out. "How did she . . ." the rest was unnecessary. Although, Dawn didn't directly answer the question. She swirled her tea around in the cup, and took on a pensive air.

"Looking back . . . it seems to have been because of her research. Many people were angry at her, so angry . . . after she died, the war stopped. She was the only one who could make the bombs, so without her, the supply dried up. Nobody else could figure out how she did it. Our enemies quickly formed alliances and counter-attacked. In the end, the status quo remained the same as before the war. Makes you wonder what it was all for."

"But how . . ."

"You might even say," Dawn cut across him, staring into her tea. "That her dying was for the best. So many people died . . . and all the blame was shifted onto her. The government got away clean, you know. It was too easy to blame a dead person, to say she corrupted the government for her own profit. That's why her tombstone is blank. There's another one, with her name, but it's been desecrated far too many times."

It was clear Dawn would not say how Angel had died. They had their thoughts, but could not confirm them. In any case, it didn't really matter. She was dead, and that was all that mattered.

"Who is she?" Itachi asked suddenly, eyes flickering to Alice.

"Why does she look so much like . . ."

"Alice," Dawn quickly cut across Sasori. "Why don't you go play in your room?"

Alice blinked. She silently slinked off, carrying her bunny with a last backward glance at them. Deidara and Sasori were relieved she was gone.

"This is quite a long story. You could say . . . Alice is Angelique's granddaughter."

Deidara choked on his tea. He wiped his mouth and said "She had children?" None of them could believe it. It was too much unlike her. And also . . . "_We were able to repair most of the damage, thankfully, but several feet of bowel had to be removed. The uterus and a kidney, too. The damage was too extensive." _They were sure Tenshi was unable to bear children.

"Yes and no." said Dawn. She smiled, and got up to retrieve some photos from the shelf. "You see, I got married." She showed them a picture of her, young, in a white wedding dress with a man in a tuxedo, smiling radiantly. "I was twenty-three at the time. A little young, but . . ." she giggled, like the old Akuma.

"Congratulations." said Itachi, in all seriousness. She reached over and patted his cheek.

"Thank you dear. I wanted children, you see. But after several years of trying, we learned that we couldn't conceive. Angel . . . graciously offered to help out. She couldn't have children . . ." she shook her head. "But during a . . . certain accident, her eggs had been frozen. She donated them, and I got pregnant with twins."

"Tenshi's children, hm." Deidara whispered.

"Biologically, yes. But I raised them as my own, and I consider them to be mine." She answered in a firm voice. "Unfortunately, it was during the early months of my pregnancy that Angel and I split. She died on the day I gave birth."

She pulled out another picture, of her in a rocking chair holding two babies. She glowed with pride. "Fraternal twin girls. On the right in the pink hat is Angeline, and the one with the blue hat is Aurore." She chuckled.

She then showed them more pictures of the two girls growing up. What they all noticed is that as they got older, the resemblance to Tenshi became uncanny. From adorable blond children, laughing with innocent blue eyes, to sullen teenagers with darkening hair and graying eyes, it was like they saw Tenshi grow up in the pictures. Only, while Angeline wore her hair long, Aurore cut hers boyishly short when she was fifteen.

Deidara swallowed painfully.

"We were very happy, for a time. But," her lip trembled. "My husband and Aurore died in a car accident when she was twenty. I lost contact with Angeline for a long time afterwards . . . there were some circumstances. I was contacted a year ago by authorities. Angeline died, of a suspected suicide. She left behind Alice, who was three at the time. They couldn't find the father."

Her eyes welled up with tears. Deidara awkwardly patted her on the shoulder. "They had trouble, the girls. Aurore was aggressive, and always got into fights. Angeline . . . they suspected she had schizophrenia. She kept saying someone was following her, and she kept hearing voices, kept saying the person in the mirror was talking to her. Always, it was always about that person in the mirror . . . She disappeared before I could get her help."

"What about Alice?" asked Itachi.

"I had her thoroughly examined. They say there's nothing wrong with her, but she does some very strange things sometimes. She said someone would be coming at Angel's old house. I indulged her, since we were going to visit Angel's grave, and we will be parting soon."

"What do you mean?"

"I've put Alice up for adoption."

The surprise they felt was obvious.

"_Why?_" demanded Deidara. "If you don't want her, I'll . . ."

"Look at me!" Dawn's voice whipped through the air, harsh and broken. "I am an old woman now. I have lived for a long time. I have had my share of happiness and misfortune, I have lived through a cosmic impossibility, a world war, and survived the death of everyone close to me. I will die, soon. Too soon. And then, Alice will be given to another family, anyway. She will be older, and it will be far more harsh on her. Now, she is young, she will forget her mother, forget me. She can grow up to be normal. That is the only thing I can wish for now. And I believe it is what Angel would want me to do. She is all that I have left, and it is time to let her go."

After that, Dawn took the tea back to the kitchen and went to look for Alice, who had said she wanted to speak to them. While they were waiting, Sasori took the remote to return to his old habit of switching the channels. Upon turning on the TV, they were surprised to see a shaky video. It seemed to be of a hall, with a large number of round tables, a stage, and decorated in large bouquets and centerpieces of lilies and dahlias. There were people mingling, wearing tuxedos and formal dresses, whispering excitedly. The camera shook and turned.

"_Here comes the bride!"_

Clapping erupted as a couple made their entrance. They recognized Akuma, radiant in her white dress with a veil over her hair, holding a bouquet of pink peonies, her husband at her side. More clapping, and music began to play. The camera shook some more, went out of focus, and was pointed at the floor as the bearer moved. It was raised to catch the couple kissing. They looked very happy.

The movie cut, then started again to film the two cutting the cake, then cut again. When it filmed again, they heard a very familiar voice. The camera was pushed down, so it only showed the lower end of a wheelchair, whose occupant was wearing jeans, boots, and a white lab coat.

"_Get that camera out of my face!"_

There was giggling, and the camera was raised enough to catch the bottom of the person's face. She had an obvious frown.

"_Come on, Angel!"_ Akuma giggled. _"Smile!"_

"_Don't give me that! If it wasn't for you, I'd still be at work."_ Tenshi grumbled.

"_Ah, I know you hurried to come. You didn't even have time to change! You were still late, though. I can't believe you just got here! You missed everything!"_

"_Yeah, right . . . hey, what're you doing? Get off!"_

"_Say cheese!"_

The camera panned up to show Akuma throw her arms around Tenshi from behind, making a peace sign and grinning like there was no tomorrow. A flash went off, capturing Tenshi's displeased and dumbfounded expression. It looked like she hadn't aged a day since they left. Her hair was a lot longer, messily drawn back out of her face and tied with a plain hairclip. Her face looked thinner, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She wiggled in Akuma's arms.

"_What'd you do that for? Stop it! Off!"_

"_Let's go get some cake!"_ Akuma said, wheeling her away across the room, passing people who waved and whistled. The camera followed them, wobbly.

"_Let me go! Oh, yeah, take advantage of the cripple!"_

"_Here, eat!"_ Akuma thrust a plate of cake in Tenshi's hands.

"_Are you listening to me?"_

"_Nope! Come on, eat! When's the last time you had a real meal, huh?"_ she took a bite of her wedding cake. _"This is so good!"_

"_I'm busy with work."_ Tenshi grumbled, jamming the fork in her mouth, and then shaking it at her friend. _"Busy, I say. Busy!"_

"_Yeah, yeah . . . oh, you can put that down now."_ she said to the camera. It was put on the table, and Akuma reached to push a button. _"Is it off?"_

"_Yeah."_ said a disembodied voice. It wasn't, though. The two girls ate their cake.

"_I wish you could've been my maid of honor."_ Akuma said wistfully.

"_I'm busy. And no way in hell were you going to get me into that dress. Seriously, bubblegum pink?"_

Akuma giggled. _"Hikari seems to like it."_

"_You just keep telling yourself that."_

"_It feels like we haven't talked in forever. How's work?"_

"_You want to talk about my work at your wedding? Come on, be happy. And hope the enemy doesn't bomb us."_

"_I'm just worried, is all. Don't you have trouble around the lab?"_

"_I got grunts to do the heavy lifting. Slaves called interns, that's what."_ Tenshi grinned evilly. _"They're all terrified of me, but I kind of like them. I'm thinking of making one my personal assistant. He's bright, but a wimp."_

"_That's terrible . . ."_

"_Hey, it gets the job done. Ah, I'm tired . . ."_ she yawned. _"Got any coffee?"_

"_But you hate coffee!"_

"_I'm begun to discover its charms."_

"_Jesus, you've been working nonstop. You even missed the ceremony!"_

"_Like I wanted to see you get all mushy with that guy."_ Tenshi sounded offended as she bit down on a strawberry.

"_You don't approve of him?"_

"_Doesn't matter. He hurts you, and I take a day off to bash his head in."_

Akuma took it as a joke, and laughed. She leaned forward to put her chin on her hand. _"What about you? Anybody in your life?"_

Deidara's breath caught in his throat. Sasori's hand clenched.

"_Are you kidding? First, I'm too busy. Second, I really hate people. Third . . ."_

"_You're waiting for them to come back?"_

Tenshi froze. She placed her fork down. _"No. They won't come."_

"_You can't know that!"_

"_I can. I ran the simulations. The time dimension has different parameters in each spacial environment . . . they don't match. Additionally, when relocation occurs, there's a distortion in the time continuum, though I haven't figured out why . . . there's an unknown factor. I've set aside the possibility that they would land in the wrong timeline, since the diagram provides a stable link, but still, the possibility is close to zero, no matter how many times I calculate it."_

"_Angel, speak English! I never get it when you start . ._ ."

"_I mean, time goes faster here than over there."_ Tenshi said acidly._ "Though, there's no strict correlation. For example, one month does not equal one year, one period of time here is not equivalent to another one there. That's what I mean, by unknown factor. Movement between two worlds disrupts things. I haven't figured out a model for it yet."_

"_What you're saying is . . ."_

"_They won't come back. Or if they do, it will be long after we're gone."_ She shrugged. _"No use waiting around."_

"_You've . . . given up?"_

Tenshi sighed, and tapped her finger on the table. She then spoke in a low voice, so it was difficult to hear through the video. _"I think I've found a way to travel. Go there, I mean. Judging from what I've discovered so far, it seems to be theoretically possible."_

"_Is that what you've been working on?" _Akuma exclaimed.

"_Keep your voice down! I'm still working out the theory. It's not complete yet . . . but in one year, maybe eighteen months, I think I can start planning for it. One problem is the location, I'd need a huge building to work in. Although, I've made good progress, in the theoretical aspect. The biggest challenge was finding an energy source to replace chakra, and that hurdle's pretty much been cleared. Yeah, the biggest problem now is the funding."_

"_That sounds . . . dangerous."_

Tenshi shrugged. _"Let's not talk about it anymore. You're supposed to be happy today. I assume you two will get busy real soon. You want kids, don't you?"_

Akuma blushed. _"Of course! What about you?"_

"_No way in hell."_

"_I thought so."_

"_I mean, even if I wanted them, I couldn't. I'm too busy with work, I hate people, and physically . . ."_ her voice trailed off.

"_I know. Hey, wanna dance?"_

"_What kind of sick joke is that?"_

"_I'll spin you around. You're right, we have to have fun today. Who knows what'll happen later on? Let's live it up! We aren't kids anymore. I do have a question, though. I know you don't like talking about them, but just this one and I won't say another word."_

Tenshi hesitated. _"Shoot."_

"_Do you miss them? The Akatsuki, and . . . Deidara and Sasori?"_

It took Tenshi a while to answer. She watched the dancers twirling around the floor while the band crooned on. _"Probably . . . a lot more than I'd care to admit."_

"_They love you, you know. Do you . . ."_

"_Hey, hey, you said one question."_ Tenshi admonished. She smiled wickedly, and held out her hand. _"Shall we dance?"_

"_You're unbelievable."_

Akuma stood, her dress rustling, and wheeled Tenshi away. At that moment, the battery sign on the video flashed, and the screen went dark. They stayed, for what seemed like a long time, staring at the blank wall, going over what they had seen.

"Ah . . . I didn't think you would see that . . ." Akuma said, walking into the room. She stared wistfully at the screen. "I was watching that before we left. Old memories . . ."

Seeing the current Dawn when compared to her radiant self on her wedding day, it really struck them just how much time had passed. Years. Decades. Enough time for a devastating war. Enough time for a woman to live out her life, get married, have children, lose her family, and head down the path to death. Enough time for a girl to work and struggle, and have her life cut short. It was heart-wrenching. So much had happened while they were gone. Time had flowed by, and the girls had moved on. Or at least, one of them had.

Deidara couldn't quite believe it, still. He couldn't bring himself to accept that Tenshi was dead. He had no idea how to handle it. He'd never felt this way before. He was a terrorist, a bomber, and artist, not someone who would love another. Yet, he had fallen for that girl. And now she was gone. He almost felt like he could cry.

Sasori knew it would take his emotions far longer to work their way to the surface. For now, he felt nothing, and desired to keep it that way. With the target of his initial affection gone, he no longer needed to try to feel. He could go back to being a puppet now. But still, he loved her, irrationally, fully, irrevocably. The girl he had kept waiting, and who would forever keep him waiting.

They stood. "We should leave." Itachi said. Akuma nodded.

"The car will take you back. Alice wanted to talk to you, but I haven't been able to find her. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, hm. I guess this is goodbye." He remembered when they had left, that the young Akuma had cried at him not to go. And he shouldn't have. At that moment, he realized that the guilt would follow him his whole life.

Dawn nodded. She led them to the front porch, and went back inside with a last backward glance. That was the last they would see of her.

As they got in, a small figure ran out to them. It was Alice, having changed out of her black mourning dress and into shorts with a yellow top. Deidara and Sasori stepped out.

"You'll see her again." Alice said. "Really. One day."

"What?" Deidara said.

"She told me so. She said you'd come today. She wants you to know it'll be okay."

Sasori kneeled down to her level. "Who are you speaking of?"

"She's been here since mommy went away. Mommy said she saw her all the time, and now I see her too. She's always here. She doesn't talk much, but today, she's been watching."

"_Who_, hm?" Deidara said, frustrated. Alice looked at him with frank, innocent blue eyes. She tilted her head to the side.

"The girl in the mirror."

And with that, without pause, Alice raced back to the house. She turned and waved before disappearing inside.

Not knowing what to make of this, the three got back inside the car. It drove for a while. Once they were back at the house of dust and memories, they went up to the attic and without further lingering, Itachi performed the jutsu that would bring them back.

Thus the stage is set for the second part of this tale.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

><p>The sequel will be coming out sometime this summer, and all I will say is that it will take place in the Naruto world, and I plan to take many more creative liberties with the plot. It may not seem like it now, but I have a clear idea of the main plot points and how it will end. Everything has meaning. Well, almost. Heh-heh.<p>

And with that, I tip my hat to you, dear reader. Until next time.

Peace out.


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